Delayed LNG cargo heading for Lithuania

Statoil’s Hammerfest LNG export plant has on Thursday shipped a cargo of the chilled gas to the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania.

This LNG shipment, which was originally scheduled for delivery at the Klaipeda LNG terminal on November 29, is expected to arrive around December 15, shipping data shows.

Lithuania’s Litgas said earlier this month it has agreed with Norway’s Statoil to postpone the delivery of one LNG cargo until mid-December.

The delivery was delayed to “avoid increasing regasification in Klaipėda’s LNG terminal (which would have been necessary because of the need to free up LNG terminal tanks for the new cargo) at the time of decreased demand in the energy sector (due to mild weather),” Paulius Jakutavičius, Litgas communication project manager said.

LNG cargo is being carried onboard the 140,000 cbm Arctic Voyager, instead of the Dynagas-owned Arctic Aurora, as previously reported.

Lithuania started importing LNG in December last year in order to reduce the country’s dependence on Russian gas supplies. The chilled gas is imported via Höegh LNG’s FSRU Independence located in the port of Klaipeda.

Litgas, part of the Lithuanian state-controlled Lietuvos Energija, signed a five-year deal with Statoil in August 2014 to buy about 540 million cubic metres of gas per year via the Klaipeda LNG terminal, operated by Klaipedos Nafta.

LNG World News Staff