New LNG shipment from Statoil coming to Klaipėda

Previous shipments were delivered exclusively for Lithuania’s gas trader Litgas, whereas this time the consignees will include state-owned gas importer Lietuvos Dujų Tiekimas (Lithuanian Gas Supply, or LDT) and fertilizer manufacturer Achema.

Achema CEO Ramūnas Miliauskas and LDT CEO Mantas Mikalajūnas told BNS last week that the tanker would deliver 70,000 cubic metres of Statoil’s LNG for each of the companies. The Arctic Aurora is expected to reach Klaipėda on Tuesday.

This week should also see the signing of a revised contract between Litgas and Statoil and of a gas supply contract between Achema and Statoil. The contract between LDT and Statoil was signed earlier this month.

LDT will purchase over a half of gas volumes required this year, approximately 300 million cubic meters, from Statoil by October.

Janina Sabaitė Melnikovienė, spokeswoman for Achema, told BNS that the fertilizer manufacturer would purchase from Statoil up to 700 million cubic meters of gas, or more than 50 percent of its expected gas consumption this year.

Previously, Achema and LDT used to purchase gas solely from Russia’s Gazprom.

Litgas, which started purchasing LNG last year, has recently amended its contract with Statoil, reducing the annual gas purchase volume to 350 million cubic meters, from 540 million cubic meters. In addition, the term of the contract was extended by five years until 2024.

Twelve tankers, including Litgas shipments, should in total deliver approximately 1.15 billion cubic meters of gas to the LNG terminal by the end of September.