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Lithuania News

08 Feb 2024

Lithuania Probes Baltic Sea Oil Spill

© Studio Barcelona / Adobe Stock

Lithuania said on Thursday it had been informed by a subsidiary of Polish oil refiner Orlen PKN of an oil spill in the country's waters in the Baltic Sea and had launched a probe into the incident.Lithuania's Environmental Protection Department said in a statement the subsidiary, Orlen Lietuva, had informed it on Wednesday of a 300-litre spill near the Butinge oil import terminal in connection with the loading of a tanker.It said an inspection by Lithuania later on Wednesday showed the spill measured nine kilometers by two kilometers with at least 1.8 tonnes of oil on the surface…

11 Dec 2023

Nations and Industry Partners Respond to Green Shipping Challenge

Source: Yara

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry are co-leading an international initiative to accelerate reduction of emissions from the shipping sector, and on December 1, during COP28, they chaired a new round of announcements under that initiative, the Green Shipping Challenge.Various countries and organizations proposed measures to reduce emissions from shipping. This year’s announcements include:• Amazon: Amazon and other…

29 Nov 2023

Royal Navy to Help Defend Undersea Cables

Source: UK Government

A Royal Navy task force of seven ships will deploy with allies early next month to jointly patrol areas with vulnerable undersea critical infrastructure, following an unprecedented agreement by ministers of the 10 Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations.The UK contribution to the deployment will include two Royal Navy frigates, two offshore patrol vessels and mine countermeasures vessels, as well as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship – supported by a Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon…

22 Nov 2023

Finland-Estonia Gas Pipeline System to Get Bigger Capacity after Repair

Credit: Approximate location of Balticconnector between Finland and Estonia. - Credit: Wikimedia Maps

The Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which was damaged last month, will get a bigger northbound transmission capacity next year following repairs, Finnish operator Gasgrid said in a statement on Wednesday.The increase will come from an enhancement of the Latvia-Lithuania interconnection, which allows for higher gas volumes to be transported around the Finnish-Baltic region, it added.The pipeline will in the future get a base capacity of 70.5 gigawatt hours of gas per day in the direction from Estonia to Finland…

26 Oct 2023

Europe's Offshore Wind Power Goal Hits New Snag: Security

Nysted wind farm - Credit: Plenz - Own work - CC BY 3.0 DEED via Wikimedia Commons

As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, a peaceful marine scene conceals a billion-dollar security headache.Rising above the Baltic Sea less than 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Denmark, 161 wind turbines spin slowly. They supply around 4% of the country's power, sent to shore through two cable connections.The turbines have no barriers or surveillance."Our technicians are only here until five o'clock in the afternoon, then they go home…

27 Jul 2023

NATO Boosts Black Sea Surveillance

© Genya / Adobe Stock

NATO said on Wednesday it was stepping up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it condemned Russia's exit from a deal assuring the safe passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain.The announcement came after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body established earlier this month to coordinate cooperation between the Western military alliance and Kyiv."Allies and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal and its deliberate attempts to stop Ukraine’s agricultural exports on which hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend…

18 Apr 2023

Norway Crude Mops Up in Europe as Russia's Urals Heads East

Johan Sverdrup - Photo credit: Lizette Bertelsen and Jonny Engelsvoll - Equinor

The clear winner in the race to replace Russian oil at Europe's refineries is Norway's Johan Sverdrup crude, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and traders.Johan Sverdrup was launched in 2019, making it a relative newcomer compared to Russia's Urals grade.Initially sold mostly to Asia, an EU ban on Russian seaborne oil imports imposed in December has opened up the European market where the medium sour grade has become a primary feedstock for refiners in countries such as Germany…

04 Apr 2023

Finland’s New Inkoo Terminal Accepts First LNG

(Photo: Vitol)

Finland’s new Inkoo floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) terminal on Sunday accepted its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG).The cargo, which was ordered by Elenger, the largest privately owned energy company in the Finnish-Baltic region, was delivered by multinational energy and commodity trading company Vitol.The cargo, which originates from Vitol’s Venture Global Calcasieu Pass facility in the U.S., was transported aboard Vitol's LNG carrier Vivit Americas LNG.

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…

21 Dec 2022

Poland and the Baltics Eye Growth in Offshore Wind

© Ian Dyball / Adobe Stock

Poland and the three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, present a significant opportunity to expand offshore wind generation beyond the Baltic waters of Denmark, Germany and Sweden. Driven by the need to decarbonize energy supply and increase energy security, Poland and the Baltics can be seen as both a single opportunity for the supply chain to support the deployment of at least 28 GW of offshore wind by 2035 and also as individual country opportunities. Intelatus…

16 Dec 2022

Höegh LNG in Talks to Supply More Regasification Vessels to Europe

(Photo: Höegh LNG)

Norway's Höegh LNG is in talks to supply more of its floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) to several European countries seeking alternatives to Russian gas, its CEO said.The sharp drop in piped Russian gas exports to Europe in the wake of the Ukraine war has resulted in a dash for FSRUs to allow diversification with liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.Höegh LNG has already committed five vessels, half of its FSRU fleet, to European projects, and combined they will provide 25-35 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year of regasification capacity next year, Erik Nyheim said in an intervi

01 Dec 2022

EU Tentatively Agrees $60 Price Cap on Russian Seaborne Oil

© Jari Aherma / Adobe Stock

European Union governments tentatively agreed on Thursday on a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil - an idea of the Group of Seven (G7) nations - with an adjustment mechanism to keep the cap at 5% below the market price, according to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters.The agreement still needs approval from all EU governments in a written procedure by Friday. Poland, which had pushed for the cap to be as low as possible, had as of Thursday evening not confirmed if it would support the deal…

29 Nov 2022

Western Baltic Engineering to Unveil New Electric Pusher Vessel Models at WorkBoat Show

©Western Baltic Engineering

Lithuanian ship designer Western Baltic Engineering (WBE) is to unveil two new models of its electric 'pusher' vessel series, known as the Electric Eel, at the WorkBoat trade show in New Orleans.The vessels are the latest editions to the first series of battery powered 'pushers' ever designed. Known as EE20 and EE26 the latest vessels are being adapted from the original model EE27 launched by WBE in August. According to WBE, they offer different functionality including the ability to ‘pull’ as well as greater power and range capabilities.

22 Aug 2022

Electric Eel: Electric Pusher Vessel Design Unveiled

(Image: Western Baltic Engineering)

Lithuanian ship designer Western Baltic Engineering (WBE) is unveiling new designs for what it believes is the first ever electric pusher vessel for use on Europe’s inland waterways called the Electric Eel.Klaipeda headquartered WBE said the first electric pusher is due to be built next year for the Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority, a public body operating under Lithuanian Government Ministry of Transport and Communications.WBE’s Head of Sales & Marketing Eglė Mikalauskienė…

14 Jul 2022

Harland & Wolff to Restore HMS Quorn Mine-hunter

HMS Quorn - Defence Imagery via Wikimedia Commons - OGL v1.0 License

Harland & Wolff's Appledore site in the UK's southwest has won a £55 million (around $65 million) contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS Quorn. "On behalf of the Lithuanian Government, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the contract that will see HMS Quorn renovated and restored, bolstering NATO maritime capability in Europe," the UK Ministry of Defence said Thursday."Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, laid out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, the regeneration will support 100 jobs at the south-west shipyard.

31 May 2022

How Much Oil Does the EU Import from Russia?

© vchalup / Adobe Stock

The European Union has agreed to ban the bulk of imports of Russian crude and oil products in its latest round of sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.The ban on seaborne crude imports will be phased in over six months and for seaborne refined products over eight months. It excludes deliveries via the Druzhba oil pipeline which supplies refineries in Eastern Europe and eastern Germany.Yet many European buyers have voluntarily suspended purchases of Russian oil or announced plans to phase it out…

10 May 2022

Gasunie to Charter New Fortress Energy FSRU to Reduce Dutch Reliance on Russian Gas

Illustration only - An FSRU - Credit: Karel/AdobeStock

New Fortress Energy has executed a binding agreement to charter a floating storage and regasification unit (“FSRU”) to Dutch energy network operator Gasunie, in an effort by the Netherlands to reduce Russian gas imports. The chartered FSRU will provide storage capacity of approximately 170,000 m3 of liquefied natural gas with peak regasification capacity of 900 mmscfd. New Fortress Energy's FSRU will work in tandem with a third party’s FSRU to provide up to 8 bcm per year of total regas capacity.

05 May 2022

Germany to Charter Four FSRUs in Push to Cut Reliance on Russian Gas

For illustration only - A Höegh LNG FSRU

The German government on Thursday signed agreements for the charters of four floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), as it works to become less reliant on Russian gas, as FSRUs will enable it to import LNG from other sources.The agreements were signed for the charters of two FSRUs owned by Oslo-listed firm Hoegh LNG, and two owned by Dynagas. Hoegh LNG FSRUs will be operated by RWE, while Uniper has facilitated the charter of two FSRUs managed by Dynagas Ltd.Höegh LNG said that the detailed FSRU contracts with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action…

20 Apr 2022

Wasa Dredging Southern Breakwater in Klaipeda

Backhoe dredger Optimus and self-propelled split hopper barge Sinann (Photo: Wasa Dredging)

Wasa Dredging said it has entered into a charter agreement with Herbosch-Kiere for the dredging of the subsoil for the Southern Breakwater in the Port of Klaipeda, Lithuania.Dredging services started on March 13. In total some 95,000 cubic meters of sand and clay will be dredged down to -19 meters. Horizontal dredging tolerances are -0.3 to +0.1 meters.Soils will be dredged with Wasa's backhoe dredger Optimus. The dredged material will be loaded in a self-propelled split hopper barges Boann and Sinann and dumped in the offshore appointed disposal area IV.

06 Apr 2022

How Much Oil Does the European Union Import from Russia?

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

The European Commission has proposed new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on buying Russian coal and on Russian ships entering EU ports. Yet the EU faces an uphill slog to wean itself of energy imports from its Eastern neighbor.Following is a summary of key facts about the EU's use of Russian oil:How much Russian oil does the EU import?Europe is the destination for nearly half of Russia's crude and petroleum product exports, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)…

18 Feb 2022

Lukashenko Expects Russia to Build a Port for Belarus Potash Exports

© olmax1975 / Adobe Stock

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko expects Russia to build a new Baltic Sea port for exports of Belarusian potash which were hit by Western sanctions, he said on Friday after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin.The two leaders met as Russia held military exercises in Belarus as part of a buildup of troops near Ukraine that has prompted Western warnings of an imminent Russian invasion. Moscow denies any such plan and says such warnings are dangerous.Belarus' state-owned Belaruskali is the world's second largest producer of the crop nutrient potash.

02 Mar 2022

Lithuania Could Ban Russian Vessels from Its Ports

Aerial Panorama of Port of Klaipeda, Lithuania - Credit:CatHouseProduction/AdobeStock

Lithuania's government will vote on Wednesday on whether to ban Russian vessels from its ports following the invasion of Ukraine, the BNS news agency reported on Wednesday."Ships sailing under an aggressor flag will have no place in the Klaipeda port," Lithuanian Transport Minister Marius Skuodis told BNS, referring to the country's main port.The ban would affect ships sailing under Russian flag or with any other connections to Russia, its people or companies, BNS reported.(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)

21 Mar 2022

EU Split on Russia Oil Sanctions, Mulls Other Steps

© Andrey Sharpilo / Adobe Stock

The European Union's foreign ministers disagreed on Monday on whether and how to slap sanctions on Russia's lucrative energy sector over its invasion of Ukraine, with Germany saying the bloc was too dependent on Russian oil to decide an embargo.The EU and allies have already imposed hefty measures against Russia, including freezing its central bank's assets.Russia's siege and bombardment of Mariupol port, which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called "a massive war crime"…