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Shell's LNG bunker vessel Cardissa has completed the delivery of 1,000 cubic metres (cbm) of LNG into tanks at the new reloading station [pictured] in Klaipeda, Lithuania.

The newly built 6,500-cbm-capacity vessel, which last month arrived at its home port of Rotterdam for the first time, reached Klaipeda on September 17 and was subsequently loaded with LNG from Klaipedos Nafta's floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Independence.

According to the terms of the previously announced contract, 1,000 cbm of LNG were transported by the bunker vessel from the floating LNG terminal to the onshore reloading station, also owned by Klaipedos Nafta. Two of the five storage tanks at the LNG reloading station are to be filled with this amount.

The LNG cargo was sourced from natural gas trading and supply company Lietuvos duju tiekimas UAB, part of Lietuvos Energija, which utilizes the services of the FSRU. It is one of three terminal users to have recently snapped up capacity at the facility - together with UAB Litgas and AB Achema.

It is the first time that an LNG shipment has been delivered in Klaipeda via a small-scale LNG carrier, and the first LNG reload operation from a small-scale LNG vessel into the newly constructed onshore station.

Sunday's delivery also marked the start of commissioning works at the LNG reloading station. It is estimated that all phases will be completed by the end of the autumn, and that commercial operations will be launched in the first half of 2018 once approval of the construction completion certificate has been obtained.

Mindaugas Jusius, Managing Director of Klaipedos Nafta (KN), explained: "The commissioning works enable us to test the entire infrastructure for the LNG logistics in the Klaipeda Seaport. First, the reloading of LNG from the large terminal to a small-scale LNG carrier, then from the carrier to the LNG reloading station, and finally to LNG tank trucks. Such testing of the process for the first time is highly important for both our service users and us. The success of the test will be a signal to the market that distribution of LNG in Klaipeda has been launched. Our LNG acceptance process operators have already completed special-purpose training. All this means that we are quickly approaching a new phase of KN's operations, namely, a small-scale LNG distribution."

Jusius added: "The new reloading station, as well as the large-scale LNG terminal, will be open to all LNG suppliers; already this autumn they will be able to book capacities and to supply, upon start of commercial operations, LNG to customers in the Baltic Region by means of both sea and land transport."

Co-financed by the European Union's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the Cardissa is to be mainly used to perform deliveries to customers in northwest Europe, sourcing product from the Gas Access to Europe (Gate) terminal in Rotterdam.

As reported by Bunker Index last month, Shell has already moved to increase its LNG transportation capacity in the region with the recent charter of a 3,000-cbm-capacity LNG bunker barge.

Image: Klaipedos Nafta's LNG reloading station in Klaipeda, Lithuania.