The floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Independence of the Klaipėda liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, strategically important for the country, will become the property of Lithuania next year. With the results of the public tender announced, once Klaipėdos nafta (KN) becomes the owner of the FSRU, Norwegian capital company Hoegh LNG Klaipėda will serve as its technical operator for a minimum of 5 years.
The tender for the technical operator of the Independence announced by KN is one of the milestones that will allow to ensure safe, reliable and smooth operation of the terminal after Independence becomes the property of Lithuania. In total three international shipping companies that passed the initial selection stage participated in the tender: Hoegh LNG Klaipėda, Wilhelmsen Ship Management and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
The bid of Hoegh LNG Klaipėda met the requirements, the most important of which are the price and quality of the service.
“Klaipėda LNG terminal is strategically important for the energy security of both Lithuania and the Baltic States, it is the main regional alternative to the import of Russian natural gas,” said Darius Šilenskis, the CEO of KN. “This became especially important after Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The tender that we announced attracted a lot of interest, which ensured the competitiveness of the bids and allowed us to choose the most favourable option for Lithuania.”
According to him, it is also important that the operator, who won the tender, will maintain the vessel, which will be flying the flag of Lithuania.
It is estimated that the alternative to the import of natural gas created by the terminal allows Lithuania to save about 140-150 million euros annually (without the cost of the terminal upkeep).
