Russian LNG exporter Novatek has reached a new production milestone at its medium-scale LNG plant in Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Vysotsk.
Cryogas-Vysotsk has produced its three millionth ton since it launched operations in April 2019, Novatek said on Thursday.
Novatek did not reveal any additional information.
According to its AIS data provided by VesselsValue, the 10,000-cbm Coral Fungia, owned by Dutch shipping firm Anthony Veder, loaded a cargo at the facility last weekend and was on Friday located at the Zeebrugge LNG terminal in Belgium.
In addition, the 18,000-cbm, Coral EnergICE, also owned by Dutch shipping firm Anthony Veder and chartered by Finland’s Gasum, recently loaded a cargo of LNG at the Vysotsk terminal.
The vessel delivered this cargo to the small Manga LNG terminal in Finland’s Tornio, operated by a joint venture in which Gasum has a stake.
Coral EnergICE has visited the Vysotsk facility many times during the last three months, the data shows.
Reports previously said that Gasum resumed purchases from the Vysotsk LNG facility in July. Prior to that the state-owned firm had not been taking LNG cargoes since April, Reuters said.
Gasum has a take-or-pay long-term LNG supply contract with Gazprom Export.
This means that Gasum has to pay for a certain amount of LNG each year to Gazprom, weather the firm takes the supplies or not, according to Gasum.
The Vysotsk facility has a capacity of 660 thousand tons of LNG per year, but it has been producing LNG above its nameplate capacity.
Last year, the facility produced its two millionth ton of LNG. Coral EnergICE also loaded this milestone cargo and delivered it to the Manga LNG terminal.
Novatek operates the Vysotsk facility with a 51 percent share, while Gazprombank holds the rest.
Its infrastructure includes a 42,000-cbm LNG storage tank and also an offloading berth designed to handle carriers with a capacity of up to 30,000 cbm.