Thursday, January 29, 2015

Bomb Threat Shuts Down Lithuanian FSRU Independence Floating Storage and Regasification Unit

FSRU Independence
FSRU Independence, image by MasiulisJonas1/wikipedia

reuters_logo1VILNIUS, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Gas supply from Lithuania’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal was interrupted on Wednesday due to a bomb threat that later turned out to be a hoax, the terminal’s operator Klaipedos Nafta said on Wednesday.
The terminal is now preparing to restart, a spokeswoman said.

FSRU Independence, delivered in March 2014 is an LNG carrier designed as a floating LNG storage and regasification unit to be used as an LNG import terminal in Lithuania. The vessel can store 170 000 m³ natural gas and can supply all of Lithuania's need for natural gas. The vessel started to operate in the autumn of 2014 to make Lithuania independent of natural gas from Russia.

Built by Hyundai in South Korea, it arrived at Klaipeda on October 27th, 2014, after a five month cruise.
 
The floating terminal, leased from Norway’s Hoegh LNG , was opened last year and received the first commercial LNG cargo from Norway in late December.

The terminal halted gas withdrawals at around 0900 GMT after receiving a bomb threat and was evacuated. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas, writing by Narijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik)