Lithuania’s Klaipėdos Nafta is temporarily relocating the FSRU Independence while Klaipeda’s port waters are being cleaned.
The company will move the Hoegh LNG-chartered FSRU from March 30 to April 5 from its location near Kiaules Nugara Island.
This also means temporarily suspending operations at the country’s first LNG import terminal until the dredging works complete.
Belgian dredging company Jan de Nul is responsible for the cleaning works, according to a Klaipedos Nafta statement.
The dredging company will excavate about 50,000 cubic meters of soil during these works.
This is not the the first time that the cleaning works will take place in the FSRUs mooring zone.
Head of Klaipėdos Nafta Darius Silenskis said this would be the third time since the start of operations in 2014.
Klaipedos 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,” Silenskis said.
This includes inspection of LNG terminal automatics, electrical, and fire protection systems. Works include the maintenance of the gasline and mooring equipment as well.
“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 company has recently signed a deal with the Nordic Investment Bank 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.