GAZ-SYSTEM’s Terminal LNG receives first delivery by Lech Kaczyński ship

GAZ-SYSTEM’s Terminal LNG in Świnoujście, Poland, has seen the first delivery of LNG by the Lech Kaczyński, the first LNG carrier built for exclusive use by ORLEN Group and named after former president Lech Kaczyński.

The ship was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, and the ORLEN Group said it will use it under a long-term charter deal with Knutsen OAS Shipping of Norway, specialising in the maintenance and commercial operation of LNG tankers.

According to Terminal LNG’s social media, the terminal in Poland, owned by GAZ-SYSTEM, is the first investment of this type in Central and Eastern Europe and in the area of the Baltic Sea.

Since 2022, the terminal has a commercial regasification capacity of 6.2 billion m3 annually, GAZ-SYSTEM reported on the terminal’s official website, adding that the facility is being expanded, thanks to which it will increase the capacity to 8.3 bcm of gas per year, which is expected to cover over 40% of the estimated annual demand of Polish customers.

GAZ-SYSTEM informed that the expansion of the terminal is at an advanced stage, and that, thanks to the construction of the third tank and the new quay, the terminal will have not only greater flexibility in accepting deliveries, but also new functionalities.

It said that, currently, they are unloading LNG from large-scale tankers but next year, they will be able to unload smaller-scale ships, and also load and reload LNG and bunker ships.

The company reported that last year, 58 LNG ships were received, and plans for 2023 include the unloading of over 60 deliveries.

Apart from the LNG terminal, the following structures were built in Świnoujście: a breakwater, port infrastructure for handling LNG transporting ships, and Szczecin-Świnoujście connecting gas pipeline.

“From the beginning of the construction of the terminal, it was known that the investment is extremely important for Poland. We need energy independence of our homeland. President Lech Kaczyński has always emphasised that a strong Western Pomerania is Poland’s raison d’état. It is hard to find more up-to-date words today,” said Marcin Chludziński, President of the Management Board of GAZ-SYSTEM.