The LNG Croatia vessel which, as a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU), will be one of the main elements of an LNG terminal in Omisalj on Krk island, is expected in the Rijeka port on Tuesday, the LNG Croatia company said on Monday.

The vessel was converted into an FSRU in a shipyard near Shanghai, said the company’s director, Hrvoje Krhen.

The LNG Croatia sailed out of China on September 20. Upon arriving in Rijeka, it will dock at the Viktor Lenac shipyard for additional tests.

The vessel will be put on trial at the LNG terminal in Omisalj in early December and to commercial use as of January 1, said Krhen.

The vessel was selected as the most cost-effective in a procurement procedure two years ago, when the Golar Power company offered to convert the Golar Viking LNG tanker, made in 2005, into a €159.6 million FSRU.

The LNG Croatia has a storage capacity of 140,000 cubic metres, with a nominal LNG regasification capacity of 300,000 m3/h, or an annual capacity of 2.6 billion cubic metres.

The floating LNG terminal will allow the docking of all LNG transport vessels with capacities ranging from 3,500 to 265,000 cubic metres.

The construction of the terminal in Omisalj is a strategic project for Croatia which will ensure natural gas supplies and stimulate competition.

The investment in the terminal amounts to €233.6 million, of which €101.4 million is a European Commission grant given that the terminal has been included on its list of projects of common interest.