On June 17th, the “Grażyna Gęsicka” LNG carrier with an LNG cargo set off on its first voyage to Poland. The tanker will arrive at the President Lech Kaczyński Terminal in about two weeks.
The LNG carrier was loaded at the Freeport terminal in the United States. It will deliver to Poland a cargo of approximately 65,000 tonnes of LNG.
“ORLEN ensures Poland’s energy security by diversifying the directions and sources of gas supplies. Because LNG delivered by sea plays a key role in this process, it is critical to ensure the stability of sea transport. That is why the ORLEN Group has ordered a fleet of modern LNG carriers. These vessels not only increase our ability to secure gas supplies, but also enhance our flexibility in responding quickly to changing demand from our customers. We are also consolidating the Group’s position on the global LNG market,” says Daniel Obajtek, CEO and President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.
“Grażyna Gęsicka” is the second LNG carrier in the ORLEN Group’s fleet. The first one, “Lech Kaczyński”, has been in service since February this year. To date, it has delivered three LNG cargoes to Poland, with the last one arriving at the Świnoujście terminal on June 8th.
The ORLEN Group’s fleet will comprise eight LNG carriers. Each of them can carry a cargo of LNG that is equivalent to about 105 mcm of regasified natural gas. The size of the LNG carriers ensures that they have a sufficient carrying capacity and are able to call in almost every liquefaction and regasification terminal in the world. This ensures high flexibility and efficiency of ship management.
The ships will be used to carry both LNG purchased under the long-term contracts in the United States and LNG purchased in spot transactions. With its own fleet of LNG carriers, the Group will be able to optimally manage these transactions: depending on the market situation, LNG cargoes will be delivered to Poland or transported to other countries.
Besides being modern, the ships being built to ORLEN Group’s order also feature a number of environmentally-friendly solutions, including mainly the reliquefication system. As a fraction of LNG naturally evaporates during transport, it had to be burned at older ships. The solution deployed in ORLEN Group’s ships enables reliquefaction, which not only translates into savings, but also reduces environmental impact.
Alternatively, the evaporated gas can be used as a fuel to power the ship or generate electricity during the voyage. The use of low-carbon natural gas for these purposes significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared with fuels typically used in heavy marine transport.