Croatia’s gas terminal tucks 100th LNG shipment under its belt in less than four years

MET Croatia Energy Trade, a subsidiary of Switzerland-headquartered European energy company MET Group, has confirmed the delivery of the 100th liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment to a floating LNG terminal in Omišalj municipality on the island of Krk, Croatia.

The 100th LNG carrier, called BW Pavilion Aranthera, arrived at the Krk FSRU, also known as Hrvatska LNG and LNG Croatia, last week. This floating LNG terminal in Croatia, which started operating in January 2021, currently has an annual capacity of 2.9 billion cubic meters (bcm), and consists of an FSRU vessel and an onshore section of the terminal.

Mario Matković, CEO of MET Croatia Energy Trade, commented: “In addition to the 100th delivery, we are pleased that we had the opportunity to bring in the initial, ‘zero’ ship, planting a strong foundation for the future operations of the terminal.

“We are proud to be one of the leaders in this important project, providing reliable energy solutions to end customers and the wholesale market, thereby fostering economic development. Our commitment to remaining a key player in the Croatian energy sector is demonstrated by our lease of substantial regasification capacities at the Krk LNG Terminal until October 2032.”

MET, which delivered more than 30 LNG cargoes to Europe last year, has long-term regasification capacity bookings in Germany, Croatia, and Spain. The company also imported into eight countries in recent years, including around the Mediterranean such as Greece, Italy, Croatia, and Spain; Northwest Europe like the UK, Belgium, and Germany; and the Nordic region, including Finland.

As it is keen on diversifying Croatia’s access to alternative energy sources further, MET Croatia Energy Trade believes that the significant lease at the Krk LNG terminal not only secures the Balkan country’s energy resources but also helps Central and Eastern Europe to become an integral part of the global LNG market.

In less than four years since the Krk LNG terminal came online, LNG Croatia has seen 100 LNG carriers, discharged almost 400 trucks for LNG transport, regasified over 13.7 million cubic meters of LNG, and transported nearly 8.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

Plans are in motion to increase the capacity of the LNG terminal, which is seen as a way to boost the security of the natural gas supply for Croatia and countries in the surrounding area. The expansion will be done by installing an additional regasification module with a capacity of 250,000 m3/h and integrating it with the existing module on the FSRU LNG Croatia.

The operator of the terminal is also launching projects to capture carbon dioxide emissions, use solar energy, and build stations for the supply of LNG, hydrogen, and other environmentally acceptable energy sources, while also participating in the transition or conversion of many vessels sailing the Adriatic Sea to more environmentally friendly fuels.

The 100th LNG cargo to Croatia’s terminal comes weeks after MET Group inked a long-term agreement with Shell to supply LNG sourced from the U.S. to its European customers. This deal is seen as a way for the Swiss player to achieve its diversification ambitions by extending its geographical scope to new regions such as Asia.