"Currently we are transporting LNG with a semitrailer from Pskov, Poland and so on, but this is definitely not enough if there are more ships," Eesti Gaas CEO Ants Noot told the paper. "Therefore we must consider if we should own a small terminal or build a bunkering ship and service ships in different ports with it. There are many possibilities."

While there are currently just a few ships sailing on the Baltic Sea that run on LNG, their number will increase, Noot said. "Viking Line is already building one, and Tallink is also considering a new ship," he cited as examples. "Throughout the world, there are nearly 120 ships that run on LNG, but shipyards' orderbooks list 117 LNG ships set to be built in the next three to four years. Of these, 60 percent are to be built for Europe."

According to Noot, one ship uses about 20,000 tons of LNG per year, which means 30 million cubic meters of natural gas. He added that 500 million cubic meters of gas is consumed in Estonia. "This means that just one ship will increase our volumes substantially, but with tens of ships the volume doubles," he added.

Eesti Gaas is a seller of natural gas and electricity. The group consists of AS EG Ehitus, designer and builder of gas networks and facilities, and distribution service provider AS Gaasivõrgud.

The company has 1,600 corporate customers, 42,000 private customers and employs more than 200 people.