On 2 September 2021, PAO Sovcomflot, PAO NOVATEK and Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University (MSUN) signed a trilateral cooperation agreement to train specialists for vessel crews of the Arctic LNG 2 project.
The agreement was signed in Vladivostok on the eve of the VI Eastern Economic Forum as part of the opening of the Far Eastern Maritime Training Center (FEMTC) at the University.
The signing ceremony was attended by: Sergey Frank, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sovcomflot, Honorary President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MSUN; Igor Tonkovidov, President and CEO of Sovcomflot; Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of the Management Board of NOVATEK, and Denis Burov, Rector of MSUN.
Sovcomflot and NOVATEK intend to use the capabilities of the University, including its Far Eastern Maritime Training Centre, to organize both initial and advanced training as well as requalification for fleet personnel for the next-generation Arctic LNG carriers, currently under construction at Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex.
Igor Tonkovidov noted:
"Today, Sovcomflot and NOVATEK are joining up with the Russia’s Ministry of Transport to help further develop a national system for professional maritime education, signing an agreement with Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University.
This agreement will be instrumental in providing the Russian Arctic fleet with highly trained maritime personnel. New fleet delivery will create over 1,000 new jobs and will require a significant amount of qualified seafarers, given the complexity of equipment and the challenging conditions of the Arctic.
We expect to have some 300 marine specialists of our company alone undergo advanced training in this centre each year. Sovcomflot has cooperated successfully with MSUN for many years, and we value considerably the University's expertise in ice navigation. We also welcome the participation in this project of our long-term partner, NOVATEK, and express our gratitude for its support in this venture."