On July 29, as part of the "Russian Navy" series, two stamps with images of the Arctic oil loading terminal "Gates of the Arctic" and the tanker "Navigator Albanov"were put into postal circulation



The Arctic Gate terminal, located in the water area of the Ob Bay near the village of Cape Kamenny, is designed for year-round shipment of oil from the Novoportovskoye oil and gas condensate field to tankers. The terminal is located in fresh waters, the thickness of the ice around it in winter can exceed 2 meters — this required the use of unique technical solutions that ensure its reliable operation in the conditions of the Far North. The accompanying infrastructure has been built on the shore of the Gulf of Ob: underwater and onshore oil pipelines with a length of more than 10.5 km, a tank farm, pumping stations with a water impact protection system that guarantees the tightness of the pipeline. The installation of the Arctic Gate terminal, whose total height exceeds 80 m, was carried out with the help of one of the world's largest crane vessels "Oleg Strashnov" with a lifting capacity of 5 thousand tons.

The Navigator Albanov is the first of six Arc7 class tankers built to provide year-round oil export from the Novoportovskoye field. The cargo capacity of the vessel is about 38 thousand tons of oil. The vessel is designed taking into account the shallow depths of the Gulf of Ob and the climatic conditions of the Arctic. The maximum draft of the tanker in fresh water is 9.5 m. At the same time, its width and length correspond to the dimensions of a tanker with a cargo capacity twice as large. The Navigator Albanov can move independently in the ice through a channel previously prepared by a nuclear icebreaker. The tanker's hull is made of special high-strength and low-temperature resistant steel, the wall thickness is increased. The vessel is equipped with a bow loading device that allows you to attach, hold the tanker and receive oil from the Arctic Gate terminal. Without an icebreaker escort, the vessel can overcome ice up to 1.8 m thick with the stern and up to 1.4 m with the bow. The tanker is equipped with rotary steering columns that can rotate 360 degrees around its axis, which gives additional maneuverability when moving bow and stern. The ship is named after the navigator who took part in the polar expedition on the steam schooner "Saint Anna".

The postage stamps depict the Arctic oil loading terminal "Gates of the Arctic" and the tanker "Navigator Albanov".

In addition to the issue of postage stamps, envelopes of the first day were issued and special postmarks were made for Moscow, St. Petersburg and Murmansk, as well as two cartmaximums, an art cover, postage stamps and a vignette inside.

Artist-designer: A. Moskovets.
Nominal value: 30 rubles.
Stamp size: 50×37 mm, sheet size: 124×212 mm.
Issue form: a sheet with decorated fields (2×4) of 8 stamps and a coupon.
Circulation: 68 thousand stamps (17 thousand sheets).

« back