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Baltic States News

12 Dec 2023

X-Press Feeders to Use Green Methanol in Q2 2024

(Photo: X-Press Feeders)

Singapore-based container shipper X-Press Feeders plans to use green methanol bunker to fuel part of its fleet in Europe in the second quarter of 2024, a senior executive said on Tuesday.The move comes as the European Union will extend its Emissions Trading System (ETS) next year to cover carbon dioxide emissions for all ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above entering EU ports.Shippers can buy carbon credits to offset emissions or burn lower-carbon fuels such as methanol and biofuels, although supply of these fuels is limited.

04 Dec 2023

UK, Finland, Estonia Practice Subsea Infrastructure Protection in Baltic Sea

(Photo: Estonia Ministry of Defense)

The navies of Britain, Finland and Estonia were practising subsea infrastructure protection in the Baltic Sea region on Monday together with the Finnish Border Guard, Finland's Defence Forces said in a statement.In early October a gas pipeline linking Estonia and Finland was damaged along with three telecommunications cables in the area, which is known for its dense seabed infrastructure.Finland and Estonia suspect the gas pipeline and cable incidents are linked, and believe a Hong Kong-flagged container carrier caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed.

09 Nov 2023

Van Oord Awarded Offshore Wind Contracts in Baltic Sea and Taiwan

Svanen courtesy of Van Oord

Van Oord has been awarded two new offshore wind projects: Baltic Power in the Baltic Sea and Greater Changhua 2b and 4 in Taiwan. The contracts have a combined value of more than EUR 500 million. Once operational, the two offshore wind farms will deliver renewable energy to approximately 2.5 million households.The Baltic Power offshore wind farm is being developed by a joint venture between ORLEN (Poland) and Northland Power (Canada). The wind farm will be located in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone of the Baltic Sea, 23 kilometers from shore.

17 Oct 2023

Finland Terminal Receives First LNG Cargo after Pipeline Breach

FSRU Exemplar - Credit: Excelerate Energy

A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) arrived at Finland's Inkoo terminal on Tuesday, vessel tracking data showed, the first such cargo to appear following the Oct. 8 outage of a Finnish-Estonian gas pipeline.The Maran Gas Vergina, carrying U.S. natural gas, docked next to the Exemplar floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), which was installed late last year to facilitate LNG imports and thus boost Finland's energy security.The cargo belongs to Finnish gas supplier Gasum…

01 Sep 2023

Baltic Sea Drills to Focus for First Time on Repelling Russian Attack

© Wojciech Wrzesień / Adobe Stock

Major naval drills about to start in the Baltic Sea involving some 30 ships and more than 3,000 Western service members will for the first time practice how to respond to a Russian assault in the region, Germany's navy chief said on Friday."We are sending a clear message of vigilance to Russia: Not on our watch," Vice-Admiral Jan Christian Kaack told reporters in Berlin. "Credible deterrence must include the ability to attack."The two-week Northern Coasts exercise, set to start Sep 9…

02 Aug 2023

Port of Klaipeda Orders Fully Electric Waste Collection Tanker

(Image Baltic Workboats)

The Port of Klaipėda has placed an order worth roughly €11 million for the design and construction of a fully electric tanker that will collect waste from other vessels arriving at the port.The project marks the first large collaboration between Baltic Workboats and Western Baltija Shipbuilding, a subsidiary within BLRT Grupp. The 42-m long and 10-m wide tanker will carry up to 400 m3 of liquid waste. The vessel will have a fully electric propulsion system with 2,000 kWh of batteries installed on board, meaning she can sail at 8 knots continuously for 8 hours without charging.

03 Feb 2023

EU Agrees on Price Caps on Russian Refined Oil Products

© momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

European Union countries agreed to set price caps on Russian refined oil products to limit Moscow's funds for its invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish presidency of the EU said on Friday.EU diplomats said the price caps are $100 per barrel on products that trade at a premium to crude, principally diesel, and $45 per barrel for products that trade at a discount, such as fuel oil and naphtha. Ambassadors for the 27 EU countries agreed on the European Commission proposal,which will apply from Sunday.The price caps…

28 Nov 2022

Zero-C Offshore: A New UK Firm Aiming to Address ‘Chronic’ FIV Shortage

(Image: Zero-C Offshore)

The global offshore wind industry is staring down a potential shortage of foundation installation vessel capacity. A new UK company led by former offshore drilling executive Jon Oliver Bryce intends to help tackle this challenge as the industry’s first pure-play foundation installation vessel (FIV) firm.The number of planned offshore wind projects globally is growing, spurred by green targets and a shift away from Russian oil and gas. This growth, alongside a shift toward the next generation of larger offshore wind turbines…

08 Feb 2022

Biden: Nord Stream 2 Will Be Halted if Russia Invades Ukraine

Credit: Framestock/AdobeStock

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be halted if Russia invades Ukraine and stressed unity with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the West rallies to avert a war in Europe.At a White House press conference with the new German leader, Biden, a longtime opponent of the decade-old pipeline project to Germany from Russia, said Russian forces crossing into Ukraine would trigger a shutdown."If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the ... border of Ukraine again, then there will be ... no longer a Nord Stream 2.

09 Jul 2021

Lithuania Seeks Alternative Bids for LNG Import Terminal

Lithuania is seeking alternative bids from providers of floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to potentially replace its existing import terminal, operator Klaipedos Nafta said on Friday.The Baltic state leases a floating storage and regasification vessel (FSRU) from Norway's Hoegh LNG and has an option to buy it when the lease expires in 2024.The state-controlled Klaipedos Nafta said it had decided to seek alternative bids to make sure that it gets the best terms, and has to make the final decision by the end of 2022.Lithuania has been importing LNG via the current terminal, dubbed Independence, since 2014, thereby ending Russia's Gazprom pipeline gas supply monopoly.The Lithuanian terminal is used to import gas also for its neighboring Baltic states, and a new gas link to neighb

17 Mar 2020

Baltic States Send Ships for Stranded Citizens

(File photo: Tallink)

Estonia and Latvia will send ships to bring back hundreds of their citizens stranded on the border between Germany and Poland, following Warsaw’s decision last week to shut its borders in response to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.The three Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - have criticized Poland for preventing their citizens in transit from returning home.Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki came under fire over the move during a coronavirus videocall of all 27 national EU leaders on Tuesday during which they agreed to seal off Europe’s external borders as par

16 Feb 2020

Kiel Intros Germany's Largest Shore Power System

The Port of Kiel commissioned Siemens to build Germany’s largest shore power system to date which is capable of supplying two ships simultaneously.With a power of 16 megavolt amperes (MVA), the Siharbor solution will supply two ships simultaneously with certified eco-power, for the first time. This will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 8,000 tons.The system is expected to go into test operation within the 2020 cruise ship season. Maritime shipping plays a special role in Kiel. The port is the point of departure for cruises and has ferry connections to the Baltic states and Scandinavia. 32 different cruise ships stopped in 174…

17 Jan 2020

US Refiners Grab HSFO on Back of IMO 2020

© Fotos von Schiffen / Adobe Stock

U.S. refiners are scooping up cheap high-sulfur fuel oil for processing from Russia and the Baltic states as they take advantage of new shipping rules that have cut demand for the dirtier marine fuel, according to oil traders and shipping data.U.S. refiners Valero Corp, Chevron Corp and Phillips 66 have been buying HSFO, traders said, taking advantage of their complex operations to turn HSFO blended with crude oils into products like diesel, gasoil and gasoline.This month, 2.2 million tonnes of fuel oil…

03 Jan 2020

KN Bags $148Mn Loan for its LNG Terminal

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and Lithuanian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil terminal operator AB 'Klaipedos Nafta' (KN) have signed a EUR 134.1 million (USD 148 million) loan agreement to optimize costs of LNG terminal.The 25-year maturity loan will be directed to finance the rent payable for the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU).“Through this loan agreement we are continuing to support Lithuania´s security of energy supply, a strategically important objective for our member country”, said Henrik Normann, NIB President & CEO.Currently, the FSRU used for LNG import to Lithuania is leased from the Norwegian Höegh LNG on a ten-year arrangement that expires in 2024.

23 Aug 2019

Estonia's Eesti Energia to Import Novatek Gas

Estonia's energy group Eesti Energia is all set to import gas from Russia's largest private gas company Novatek via Lithuania's LNG terminal based in Klaipeda, which is operated by KN,  in September.The contract with the new Klaipeda LNG terminal user was signed on Thursday. It is planned that the first cargo of  Eesti Energia in the history of Klaipėda LNG Terminal will arrive in Klaipėda at the end of September. “The contract signed with Eesti Energia confirms that the conditions for using our reliable terminal satisfy the users of the terminal and natural gas users in Lithuania and abroad. Gas was already imported to other Baltic countries through Klaipėda LNG Terminal before…

22 Jul 2019

Klaipeda LNG in Full Capacity

Lithuania's liquefied natural gas (LNG)  terminal Klaipėdos Nafta (KN) said that its terminal capacities are now fully booked for the rest of the Gas Year, following the favorable situation in the international gas markets that has been determining the highest operative efficiency of the LNG terminal since the launch of its activities.The Gas Year is calculated from 1 October of the current year until 30 September of the following year.According to a press note from the operator of the Klaipėda Oil Terminal based in Klaipėda, Lithuania, in April, about 1.48 TWh of gas were regasified in the LNG terminal (28.3% more than the amount of gas regasified in the same period last year)…

20 Jun 2019

Containerships Introduces Second LNG-Powered Ship

Photo: Containerships

Containerships, an expert in Intra-Europe and a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group, a leader in shipping and logistics, has announced it took delivery of its second container ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Containerships Polar.As the second LNG-powered ship for Containerships and the CMA CGM Group, the Containerships Polar will be phased into the redesigned BALT 2 service in the Port of Rotterdam on June 23rd, 2019. At the beginning of May, the 1,380-TEU vessel…

10 May 2019

Nieuw Statendam's Maiden Call in Amsterdam

The newest cruise ship in the Holland America Line fleet, the Nieuw Statendam, made its maiden call to the port of Amsterdam on Sunday, 5 May 2019.The second Pinnacle Class ship moored at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) and was welcomed with a water salute by Port of Amsterdam. Amsterdam will be the ship’s home port during the upcoming summer season.This was the maiden call for the ship that was christened by Oprah Winfrey in Ft. Lauderdale last February. A cruise ship’s maiden call to a port is traditionally accompanied by a plaque & key ceremony.Alma Prins-Droog, Commercial Manager Cruise at Port of Amsterdam, presented Captain Sybe de Boer with the port of Amsterdam coat of arms.

14 Nov 2018

China Strengthens Maritime Cooperation with Lativa

The the third largest container port in the world Port of Shenzhen Lativa's Freeport of Riga have a common goal - to become internationally important and strong ports through cooperation.Recently, Port of Riga welcomed a delegation from the Port of Shenzhen, including representatives of the city municipality and management of the port authority, as well as port entrepreneurs — representatives of all four container terminals of the Port of Shenzhen.Since the Port of Shenzhen is a cooperation port for Riga, the goal of the visit was to become personally acquainted with the operations of the Port of Riga and to find ways for even closer cooperation.Dong Yanze…

25 Apr 2019

EU Funding for Polish LNG Terminal Expansion

The Polish government and the Polskie LNG company signed a grant agreement on 24 April for the extension of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Świnoujście, in north-western Poland on the Baltic Sea coast.Almost EUR 128 million from the European Regional Development Fund is invested in extending this terminal, which is the only facility of its size in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu said: "The extension of the Świnoujście terminal will help diversify natural gas supply sources and improve the country’s energy security. This is a new example of the Energy Union in motion, supported…

04 Feb 2019

Eesti Completes 1,500th LNG Bunkering

Estonian energy company Eesti Gaas completed the 1,500th liquefied natural gas bunkering operation at the Tallinn old city harbor with the Megastar ferry operating between Tallinn and Helsinki.Megastar is serviced by eight Eesti Gaas’s trailer carriers which were purchased especially for this purpose.“LNG supply has been reliable, and no problems occurred in the thousand times the vessel was bunkered. Megastar’s lower fuel consumption and lower environmental pollution level than we had expected have strengthened our conviction that LNG is a very good alternative to diesel fuel among currently available marine fuels,” said captain Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik…

19 Oct 2018

Samskip Launches Netherlands-Italy Rail Service

European multimodal company Samskip Multimodal has launched Netherlands-Italy rail service that would bring multimodal benefits to Amsterdam.Officially launched on October 17, the connection sees trains depart from Melzo east of Milan three times a week, to be ready for unloading along 750m intermodal rail tracks inside TMA Logistics' Holland Cargo Terminal (HCT), Amsterdam 24 hours later.As well as avoiding the driver delays increasingly affecting European road transport, arrivals in Amsterdam coincide with Samskip shortsea departures to Hull, creating a seamless multimodal option to minimise post-Brexit border control issues.The new rail link is in addition to six times weekly train services connecting Melzo and Rotterdam…

18 Oct 2018

Thordon Bearings Strengthens European Presence

Thordon Bearings, the provider of bearing solutions for marine, has signed sales and distribution agreements with St. Petersburg-based Industrial & Marine Projects (IMPRO) and Tallinn’s Marine Ecology Equipment (MEE), in a development that anticipates the introduction of more stringent pollution rules for European waterways.The appointment of new distributors for Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Azerbaijan coincides with concern that more should be done to reduce the impact of oil pollution in the ecologically sensitive Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea areas.“While MARPOL Annex I and Annex IV of the Helsinki Convention prohibit the discharge of oil or oily mixtures into the Baltic Sea…