The first ever cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States was delivered to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda on Monday amid the country's efforts to diversify energy supplies and cut energy costs.

LNG tanker Clean Ocean arrived Monday with supplies bought by Lithuanian state-controlled gas trading company Lietuvos duju tiekimas earlier in June.

Lithuanian energy minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said the historic delivery from the United States strengthened partnership and energy independence in the Baltic region.

"It intensifies competition among gas suppliers to the region which would guarantee better prices for consumers from Lithuania and the entire region," Vaiciunas was quoted as saying in an announcement.

Vaiciunas confirmed the delivered gas was cheaper than supplies provided by Russian energy company Gazprom, previously the sole natural gas supplier to Lithuania.

"Since it has been delivered to Klaipeda LNG terminal, it automatically means that it is cheaper than the gas we receive via pipelines, which is from Gazprom," Vaiciunas told LRT earlier on Monday.

Lithuania's LNG terminal in Klaipeda, which started operations in 2015, is one of the Baltic country's largest energy projects implemented to diversify natural gas supplies.

Vaiciunas declined to comment on the price difference on grounds of commercial agreements.

One more LNG cargo from the United States is to be delivered to Lithuania in mid-September, reported Lithuanian business website vz.lt.

Currently, Lithuania's main supplier of LNG is Norwegian energy company Statoil.

Part of the delivered gas from the United States is to be stored at Incukalns natural gas storage facility in neighboring Latvia, according to Lithuanian energy ministry.