In October 2016, SVEZA Ust-Izhora plywood mill obtained the GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz), approval confirming compliance with specification of containment system for liquefied natural gas carriers.
GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) is the designer of containment systems with cryogenic membranes used to transport and store liquefied gas, and in particular, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
SVEZA Group, a world leader in birch plywood production, has become the first Russian domestic producer certified to deliver to LNG-carriers manufacturers. The company's target is to gain at least a 30% share of the market with the estimated annual volume of 60,000 cubic meters of plywood.
SVEZA Group has become the fourth company in the world certified by GTT.
"With a 20% share of the global plywood market — which is twice as much as that of our competitors — we are expanding into new markets and segments. The Approval enabled us to enter LNG-carriers segment. From now on Russian plywood along with European will be used for modern vessels construction. A pilot batch of SVEZA plywood for LNG-carriers has undergone a thorough inspection and testing by GTT. The first industrial batch was produced in April 2016 at SVEZA’s mill in Saint-Petersburg”, comments Yulia Ermakova, the Head of Marketing and Client Service of SVEZA Group.
Plywood used for containment systems of LNG-carriers shall meet the most stringent requirements. The material withstands heavy loads during operation: LNG-carriers have cargo capacities of up to 200,000 cubic meters, and the weight of gas they ship can be up to 85,000 tons. SVEZA plywood samples have successfully passed all necessary strength tests, including thermal shock test.
It is no coincidence that SVEZA Ust-Izhora plywood mill in Saint-Petersburg was selected as a producer of SVEZA Gas plywood.
"The mill specializes in supplying fastidious industrial customers, we have good access to main sea lanes, 80% of our products go to export,” comments Svyatoslav Sarson, the CEO of SVEZA Ust-Izhora plywood mill.
"SVEZA has shipped products for construction of two vessels in South Korea, and at the moment we are negotiating new deliveries. The demand on liquefied natural gas is projected to increase, encouraging growth in LNG-carriers industry. Currently GTT’s order book consists of 91 vessels," says Andrey Immoreev, SVEZA Group Sales and Marketing Director.
The annual production of SVEZA Group is 1.3 million cubic meters of high-quality wood products, including plywood and particleboards. The company has been operating in Russia since 1997.
