Bomin Linde LNG signs MoU with Klaipedos Nafta

Klaipedos Nafta has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bomin Linde LNG to jointly develop the LNG fuel market, including the necessary infrastructure, in the Baltic Sea.

As of 1 January 2015, Klaipedos Nafta has successfully started commercial operations of its Independence floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), providing LNG regasification and reloading services on a third-party-access basis. The company now intends to construct an onshore small scale LNG reloading station in the port of Klaipeda. With this station, Klaipedos Nafta will be able to offer small scale LNG services, e.g. loading services for trucks, serving the increasing demand for LNG the Baltic States and in Poland.

Bomin Linde LNG intends to become the user of the Klaipeda LNG terminal and to book regulated LNG reloading capacities in order to use the facility as the regional break-bulking hub for the Baltic Sea.

Bomin Linde LNG and Klaipedos Nafta have also agreed to jointly explore the possibilities to develop an LNG bunkering vessel, which would provide LNG bunkering services in the region, feed the LNG reloading station in Klaipeda and Bomin Linde's LNG bunkering terminals, e.g. the planned terminal in Hamburg, and other bunkering terminals in the Baltic Sea.

Bomin Linde's Managing Director, Mahinde Abeynaike, said: "We consider this partnership to be an important milestone in the development of an efficient supply of LNG to ports at the Baltic Sea".

Mantas Bartuska, the General Manager of Klaipedos Nafta, expressed his pleasure at signing the MoU: added: "This MoU shows that the market leaders are starting to work on new LNG business cases in the Baltic Sea which are enabled by the successful commissioning of the Klaipeda LNG terminal in the last months of 2014. Also the fact that Klaipedos Nafta has secured EU funding for the on­shore LNG infrastructure development work shows that the company is on the right […] track and in line with the long-term strategy of the EU planning new services".

Adapted from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/19022015/bomin-linde-lng-signs-mou-with-klaipedos-nafta-278/