PGNiG signs charter contract for four LNG carriers
Published by Abi Larkin,
Editorial Assistant
LNG Industry,
PGNiG Supply & Trading (PST), part of the PGNiG Group, has signed charters for four more LNG carriers. Two will be delivered by companies of the Norwegian Knutsen Group and the other two by affiliates of Maran Gas Maritime, the LNG arm of Angelicoussis Group.
Similarly to the LNG carriers previously ordered by PGNiG, each of the new vessels will have tanks with a capacity of approximately 174 000 m3, which means they will be able to carry cargoes equivalent to approximately 100 million m3 of regasified LNG. PST will use them for a period of 10 years on an exclusive basis, with an extension option. As under the previous charter contracts, the shipowner will be responsible for delivering, manning, and keeping the vessels in good technical condition, whereas commercial control will lie with PST. Adding the previously chartered carriers, the PGNiG Group’s new LNG fleet will consist of eight vessels. The first two LNG carriers will start to operate next year.
In early 2023, the Lech Kaczynski will begin its first journey. The making of its hull in a dry dock is currently nearing completion. Most sections of the vessel have already been fabricated and put together. Reinforcing, metalwork, and outfitting have begun. In March, the propellers as well as the main and auxiliary engines were installed. The making of individual parts of the hull of the Gražyna Gesicka has also begun. The outfitting of individual blocks, which will later be assembled in a dry dock, is underway. As regards the vessel’s components, the main and auxiliary engines have been tested in the manufacturers’ workshops.
“The volume of regasified LNG contracted by PGNiG from the US is currently about 9 billion m3/y, including as much as 7 billion m3 under FOB contracts, where PGNiG is responsible for collecting, transporting, and unloading LNG cargoes at the destination port. Under the charter contracts, we will be able to efficiently supply LNG to the Polish market, but also send the LNG carriers to any LNG terminal in the world,” said Pawel Majewski, President of the PGNiG Management Board. “For us, the enlarged fleet and flexible transport capabilities are the key to LNG-based energy security.”
PGNiG has also chartered three already-built LNG carriers, each with a capacity of approximately 160 000 m3, equivalent to approximately 80 - 90 million m3 of regasified LNG. Two of these vessels will be delivered to the company by the end of 1H22, while the third one is to be made available in 2H22. This means that PGNiG will be able to purchase LNG under FOB contracts in 2022.
Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/19042022/pgnig-signs-charter-contract-for-four-lng-carriers/
You might also like
EIA: US natural gas trade will continue to grow with the start-up of new LNG export projects
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s recently released Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasts that US LNG exports will continue to lead growth in US natural gas trade as three LNG export projects currently under construction start operations and ramp up to full production by the end of 2025.