Lithuania’s Klaipėdos Nafta is temporarily relocating its floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Independence while Klaipeda’s port waters are being cleaned.
From March 30 to April 5, the FSRU will be moved from the usual location of the LNG terminal near Kiaules Nugara Island while operations of the facility will be temporarily suspended.
Belgian dredging company Jan de Nul is responsible for the cleaning works, according to a Klaipedos Nafta statement.
About 50,000 cubic meters of soil is expected to be excavated during these works.
The aim is to ensure that the cleaning works are carried out as quickly as possible and that the LNG terminal operations will be resumed according to the intended plan, the statement said.
Head of Klaipėdos Nafta Darius Šilenskis said that the sediment cleaning works in the mooring zone of Independence would be carried out for the third time since the start of operations in 2014.
Klaipėdos Nafta also plans to perform some technical maintenance work as the LNG import facility is offline.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, for the sake of maximum safety, we will only carry out the work we are capable of doing on our own,” Šilenskis said.
This includes inspection of LNG terminal automatics, electrical, and fire protection systems as well as the maintenance of the gasline and mooring equipment.
“For the time being, maintenance work that requires the help of external contractors is scheduled for the fall,” Šilenskis said.
Plans to buy FSRU
Klaipedos Nafta is currently leasing the FSRU Independence from Norway’s Hoegh LNG under a ten-year deal that expires in 2024.
However, the Lithuanian company has recently signed a deal with the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) to finance the purchase of a FSRU once this agreement expires.
NIB’s loan of €160 million ($182.2 million) will finance the acquisition of the “most economically viable” FSRU at the end of 2024.