Norwegian energy firm Equinor has reloaded a liquefied natural gas cargo at the KN Energies-operated FSRU-based terminal in Lithuania’s Klaipeda and will deliver it to Gasgrid’s FSRU-based facility in Inkoo, Finland.
Lithuanian LNG terminal operator KN Energies, which recenly changed its name, said in a statement on Friday that a record amount of 105,000 cbm of LNG was transferred from the 170,000-cbm FSRU Independence in Klaipeda to the 150,000-cbm LNG carrier Amur River.
“These volumes of LNG from Equinor are the largest ever reloaded from the FSRU Independence to a conventionally sized vessel the terminal’s inception,” KN said.
Until now, commercial LNG transshipments from the FSRU Independence have been limited to small-scale LNG carriers.
Typically, less than 10,000 cbm of LNG have been transshipped, with the largest transshipment of just over 17 thousand cbm of LNG, according to KN.
KN said that the 288 meters long Amur River is fit for operation under low temperatures and ice conditions with the ice class 1A FS.
The 2008-built LNG vessel, owned by Dynagas LNG Partners and chartered by Germany’s SEFE, will deliver this cargo to the Inkoo LNG terminal in Finland.
Excelerate Energy’s 150,900-cbm FSRU Exemplar serves Gasgrid’s import facility in Inkoo under a charter deal.
KN noted that Finland’s demand for natural gas is being met by imports of LNG since the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia suffered a rupture and was shut down in early October last year.
Finnish state-owned energy firm Gasum recently delivered another large LNG cargo to the Inkoo FSRU-based terminal operated by Gasgrid.
In addition to this delivery, Gasum has reserved another slot at the Inkoo FSRU for the latter part of the winter season.
These two cargoes will ensure that Gasum can meet the natural gas demand of its customers until spring 2024, Gasum said.
Besides Gasum, Eesti Gas, a unit of Estonian investment firm Infortar, said in November last year it would deliver three more LNG cargoes to the FSRU-based terminal during the winter.