Lithuanian President Attends LNG Vessel Christening Ceremony in South Korea
Lithuania inched closer to the much-expected Klaipeda Liquefied natural gas terminal (LNGT) after the Baltic State’s President Dalia Grybauskaite attended a christening ceremony in South Korea of the vessel that will become a sailing 170 000 cubic-meter gas repository.
The naming ceremony took place in Ulsan City where the LNG storage vessel was built by Norwegian company Höegh LNG along with the local company Hyundai Heavy Industries.
In accordance to the traditions, the Lithuanian head-of-state gave the vessel a female name “Independence” and broke against the vessel’s side a bottle of sparkling wine specially prepared for the joyful occasion.
The name signifies for Lithuania the strategic importance of energy independence from Russian Gazprom gas on which it now depends nearly 100 percent.
Lowered into water, “Independence” is expected to sail into Lithuania’s coastal waters before the end of 2014.
In the congratulatory speech, the president emphasized the milestone achievement, noting that Lithuania is the first among the other two Baltic States of Latvia and Estonia to have built an LNG terminal.
“It is a historic day for Lithuania. This vessel carrying a nice symbolic name “Independence” is a real step towards our energy independence and security, which means that we have an alternative and no one ever will blackmail us over gas prices or influence, through energy, our political or economic life. It means not only fair prices for our people, but also an economically stronger and more competitive Lithuania,” the President said.
The Klaipeda terminal we guarantee import of gas from all over the world at competitive market prices, she stressed.
The terminal will also enable Lithuania to negotiate cheaper gas with all suppliers providing gas not only through terminals, but also through pipelines, she said.
Due to the absence of alternative gas supplies Lithuania now pays for Gazprom natural gas a price that is approximately 30 percent higher than in other EU member states.
According to Grybauskaite, a sophisticated LNG vessel stacked with the most advanced technologies exhibits the Baltic country’s economic potential.
“We will have the most sophisticated vessel that will serve not only Lithuania, but also the entire Baltic region. Lithuania is becoming a stable energy nation,” she said.
The capacities of the Klaipeda LNG terminal are said to be sufficient to satisfy the demand of Lithuania and of all the Baltic States – natural gas imported via the terminal would be accessible to Latvia and Estonia as well.
Before the South Korea-bound trip, the Lithuanian head-of-state said to Lithuanian State Radio that the vessel is “already having impact on the negotiations with Gazprom” and the on-water natural gas repository will be key in negotiating with other global companies.
“The project itself is already helping to bring down heating prices in the pipelines and is having an impact on the relationship, talks with Gazprom. Our project has begun to move closer to completion and Gazprom has changed its tone in talks with us,” she told the radio.