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Orlen deepens LNG chartering with Ukraine deal
New LNG carriers and Ukrainian supply agreement extend Orlen’s growing influence in European energy logistics
Orlen’s emergence as a prominent charterer in Europe’s LNG trade has gathered momentum with the naming of two LNG carriers and a contract to supply US-sourced gas to Ukraine.
The Polish state-controlled energy group held a ceremony at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in South Korea for the naming of Józef Piłsudski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski, two 174,000-m3 LNG carriers that will operate under long-term charter to Orlen.
Both vessels are owned by shipowner Knutsen OAS and are part of four 174,000-m3 LNG carriers Knutsen OAS has on order at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (and a further 11 LNG carriers on order elsewhere).
According to Orlen, each of the two LNG carriers on charter from Knutsen OAS can transport 70,000 tonnes of LNG, equivalent to the annual gas demand of around two million households in Poland.
The vessels are designed for low boil-off and are equipped with two-stroke ME-GA engines. Speaking at the naming ceremony, Orlen’s president Ireneusz Fąfara said the company was building “Poland’s energy security and independence”.
These two ships join four other LNG carriers already operating for Orlen, including the 2022-built 174,000-m3 Lech Kaczyński and the 2023-built 174,000-m3 Grażyna Gęsicka, which began operations in 2023.
Two further vessels are expected to join the fleet in 2025.
Orlen’s fleet is used to transport LNG under long-term contracts with US suppliers. The expansion of Orlen’s chartered LNG fleet is matched by its growing role in regional gas supply.
On 18 March 2025, Orlen confirmed it had signed a deal with Ukraine’s Naftogaz to supply 100 million cubic metres of gas. The volumes will be sourced from the United States and delivered to the Polish-Ukrainian border after regasification.
Naftogaz acting chairman Roman Chumak said that stable gas supply remained the company’s priority and that cooperation with Orlen added flexibility to Ukraine’s import capacity.
Orlen’s president Ireneusz Fąfara described the agreement as “a tangible expression of solidarity” and said the company was making use of its terminal infrastructure and transport capacity to support a neighbouring country.
The gas will be transported via Orlen’s infrastructure at the Świnoujście LNG terminal.
Orlen has long-term US LNG supply agreements in place with firms including Venture Global LNG and Sempra.
The company has grown rapidly in LNG shipping and logistics since the merger of PGNiG into the wider Orlen group in 2022.
PGNiG had built up a substantial LNG import portfolio, and its integration gave Orlen immediate access to chartered tonnage and supply contracts.
In a Riviera profile published earlier this year, Orlen was described as a charterer “making waves in seaborne energy transport”, with ambitions that extend beyond Poland’s domestic market.
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