UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

o		REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) or (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

þ		ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009

OR

o		TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

o		SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report                     

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 1- 32479

TEEKAY LNG PARTNERS L.P.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Republic of The Marshall Islands
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

4 ^th Floor, Belvedere Building, 69 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton, HM 08, Bermuda
(Address of principal executive offices)

Roy Spires
4 ^th Floor, Belvedere Building, 69 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton, HM 08, Bermuda
Telephone: (441) 298-2530
Fax: (441) 292-3931
(Contact information for company contact person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Units		New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.

None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.

None

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

44,972,563 Common Units
7,367,286 Subordinated Units

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes o      No þ

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes o      No þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes þ      No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes o      No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

Item 17 o      Item 18 o

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes o      No þ

 

 

TEEKAY LNG PARTNERS L.P.
INDEX TO REPORT ON FORM 20-F

		Page
PART I.
Item 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisors			5
Item 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable			5
Item 3. Key Information			5
Selected Financial Data			5
Risk Factors			9
Item 4. Information on the Partnership			20
A. Overview, History and Development			20
B. Operations			21
Our Charters			21
Liquefied Gas Segment			21
Suezmax Tanker Segment			24
Business Strategies			25
Safety, Management of Ship Operations and Administration			25
Risk of Loss, Insurance and Risk Management			26
Classification, Audits and Inspections			26
C. Regulations			28
D. Properties			31
E. Organizational Structure			31
F. Taxation of the Partnership			31
Marshall Islands Taxation			31
United States Taxation			31
Other Taxation			34
Item 4A. Unresolved Staff Comments			35
Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects			35
General			35
Significant Developments in 2009			35
Other Significant Projects			36
Important Financial and Operational Terms and Concepts			36
Results of Operations			37
Items You Should Consider When Evaluating Our Results of Operations			37
Year Ended December 31, 2009 versus Year Ended December 31, 2008			38
Year Ended December 31, 2008 versus Year Ended December 31, 2007			42
Liquidity and Cash Needs			46
Credit Facilities			47
Contractual Obligations and Contingencies			49
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements			49
Critical Accounting Estimates			50
Recent Accounting Pronouncements			51

		Page
Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees			52
Management of Teekay LNG Partners L.P.			52
Directors, Executive Officers and Key Employees			53
Reimbursement of Expenses of Our General Partner			54
Annual Executive Compensation			54
Compensation of Directors			54
2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan			55
Board Practices			55
Crewing and Staff			56
Unit Ownership			56
Item 7. Major Unitholders and Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions			56
Major Unitholders			56
Related Party Transactions			57
Item 8. Financial Information			59
Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes			59
Legal Proceedings			59
Cash Distribution Policy			59
Significant Changes			60
Item 9. The Offer and Listing			61
Item 10. Additional Information			61
Memorandum and Articles of Association			61
Material Contracts			61
Exchange Controls and Other Limitations Affecting Unitholders			62
Taxation to Unitholders			62
Marshall Islands Tax Consequences			62
United States Tax Consequences			62
Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences			69
Documents on Display			69
Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk			70
Item 12. Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities			71
PART II.
Item 13. Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies			71
Item 14. Material Modifications to the Rights of Unitholders and Use of Proceeds			71
Item 15. Controls and Procedures			71
Item 16A. Audit Committee Financial Expert			72
Item 16B. Code of Ethics			72
Item 16C. Principal Accountant Fees and Services			72
Item 16D. Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees			72
Item 16E. Purchases of Units by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers			72
Item 16F. Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant			73
Item 16G. Corporate Governance			73
PART III.
Item 17. Financial Statements			73
Item 18. Financial Statements			73
Item 19. Exhibits			74
Signature			75

PART I

This Annual Report should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in this report.

Unless otherwise indicated, references in this prospectus to “Teekay LNG Partners,” “we,” “us” and “our” and similar terms refer to Teekay LNG Partners L.P. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, except that those terms, when used in this Annual Report in connection with the common units described herein, shall mean specifically Teekay LNG Partners L.P. References in this Annual Report to “Teekay Corporation” refer to Teekay Corporation and/or any one or more of its subsidiaries.

In addition to historical information, this Annual Report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events and our operations, objectives, expectations, performance, financial condition and intentions. When used in this Annual Report, the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report include, in particular, statements regarding:

•

our ability to make cash distributions on our units or any increases in quarterly distributions;

•

the expected timing of the conversion of our subordinated units to common units;

•

our future financial condition and results of operations and our future revenues and expenses;

•

growth prospects of the liquefied natural gas (or LNG ) and liquefied petroleum gas (or LPG ) shipping and oil tanker markets;

•

LNG, LPG and tanker market fundamentals, including the balance of supply and demand in the LNG, LPG and tanker markets;

•

the expected lifespan of a new LNG carrier, LPG carrier and Suezmax tanker;

•

estimated capital expenditures and the availability of capital resources to fund capital expenditures;

•

estimated costs and timing of implementation of the EU Directive to burn only low sulphur fuel, and our ability to timely comply with this Directive;

•

our ability to maintain long-term relationships with major LNG and LPG importers and exporters and major crude oil companies;

•

our ability to leverage to our advantage Teekay Corporation’s relationships and reputation in the shipping industry;

•

our continued ability to enter into long-term, fixed-rate time-charters with our LNG and LPG customers;

•

the recent economic downturn and financial crisis in the global market, including disruptions in the global credit and stock markets and potential negative effects on our customers’ ability to charter our vessels and pay for our services;

•

obtaining LNG and LPG projects that we or Teekay Corporation bid on or that Teekay Corporation has been awarded;

•

the expected timing of Teekay Corporation’s offer of the Angola LNG project vessels to the Partnership;

•

our ability to maximize the use of our vessels, including the re-deployment or disposition of vessels no longer under long-term charter;

•

expected purchases and deliveries of newbuilding vessels and commencement of service of newbuildings under long-term contracts;

•

the expected timing, amount and method of financing for the purchase of five of our leased Suezmax tankers;

•

our expected financial flexibility to pursue acquisitions and other expansion opportunities;

•

the expected cost of, and our ability to comply with, governmental regulations and maritime self-regulatory organization standards applicable to our business;

•

the expected impact of heightened environmental and quality concerns of insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers;

•

the future valuation of goodwill;

•

anticipated taxation of our partnership and its subsidiaries; and

•

our business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to those factors discussed in Item 3: Key Information – Risk Factors, and other factors detailed from time to time in other reports we file with or furnish to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (or the SEC ).

We do not intend to revise any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any change in our expectations or events or circumstances that may subsequently arise. You should carefully review and consider the various disclosures included in this Annual Report and in our other filings made with the SEC that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business prospects and results of operations.

Item 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisors

Not applicable.

Item 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

Not applicable.

Item 3. Key Information

Selected Financial Data

•

The following tables presents, in each case for the periods and as of the dates indicated, summary historical financial and operating data of Teekay LNG Partners L.P. and its subsidiaries since its initial public offering on May 10, 2005, in connection with which it acquired Teekay Luxembourg S.a.r.l. (or Luxco ) from Teekay Corporation.

The summary historical financial and operating data has been prepared on the following basis:

•

the period from January 1, 2005 to May 9, 2005 (or the 2005 Pre-IPO Period ) reflects the acquisition of Naviera F. Tapias S.A. and its subsidiaries (or Teekay Spain ) in April 2004 by Teekay Corporation through Luxco and are derived from the consolidated financial statements of Luxco; and

•

the historical financial and operating data of Teekay LNG Partners as at December 31, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and for the periods from May 10, 2005 to December 31, 2005, and for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 reflect its initial public offering and related acquisition of Luxco from Teekay Corporation and are derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of Teekay LNG Partners.

Our historical operating results include the historical results of Luxco for the 2005 Pre-IPO Period. During this period, Luxco had no revenues, expenses or income, or assets or liabilities, other than:

•

net interest expense related to the advances of $7.3 for the 2005 Pre-IPO Period;

•

a $23.8 million unrealized foreign exchange gain related to the advances for the 2005 Pre-IPO Period;

•

other expenses of $0.1 million for the respective period;

•

its ownership interest in Teekay Spain and certain purchase rights and obligations for Suezmax tankers operated by Teekay Spain under capital lease arrangements, which it acquired from Teekay Spain on December 30, 2004.

Luxco’s results relate solely to the financing of the acquisition of Teekay Spain and repayment of Teekay Spain debt by Teekay Corporation and do not relate to the historical results of Teekay Spain. In addition, because the capital stock of Luxco and the advances from Teekay Corporation were contributed to us in connection with our initial public offering, these advances and their related effects were eliminated on consolidation in the periods subsequent to May 9, 2005. Consequently, certain of our historical financial and operating data for the 2005 Pre-IPO Period may not be comparable to subsequent periods.

The following table should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, (a) “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects,” included herein, and (b) the historical consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm therein (which are included herein), with respect to the consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007.

In November 2005, we acquired three Suezmax tankers and related long-term fixed rate time-charter contracts from Teekay Corporation. In May 2005, Teekay Corporation contributed the Granada Spirit to the Partnership. In addition, please refer to Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review and Prospects: Results of Operations – Items You Should Consider When Evaluating Our Results of Operations for a discussion relating to the LPG carrier and the two LNG carriers we acquired from Teekay Corporation in January 2007 and April 2008, respectively. These transactions were deemed to be business acquisitions between entities under common control. Accordingly, we have accounted for these transactions in a manner similar to the pooling of interest method whereby our financial statements prior to the date these vessels were acquired by us are retroactively adjusted to include the results of these acquired vessels. The periods retroactively adjusted include all periods that we and the acquired vessels were both under the common control of Teekay Corporation and had begun operations. As a result, our statements of income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 reflect the results of operations of these seven vessels, referred to herein as the Dropdown Predecessor , as if we had acquired them when each respective vessel began operations under the ownership of Teekay Corporation, which were September 26, 2003, November 10, 2003, and January 4, 2004 (the three Suezmax tankers); April 1, 2003 (the LPG carrier); December 13 and 14, 2007 (the two LNG carriers); and as if we had not sold the vessel to Teekay Corporation on December 6, 2004 ( Granada Spirit ).

The information presented in the following table and related footnotes has been adjusted to reflect the inclusion of the Dropdown Predecessor in our financial results for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 as the Company accounts for the acquisition of the seven vessels as business combinations between entities under common control.

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (or GAAP ).

•

Financial and operating performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA assist our management and investors by increasing the comparability of our fundamental performance from period to period and against the fundamental performance of other companies in our industry that provide EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA information. This increased comparability is achieved by excluding the potentially disparate effects between periods or companies of interest expense, taxes, depreciation or amortization and realized and unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments relating to interest rate swaps, which items are affected by various and possibly changing financing methods, capital structure and historical cost basis and which items may significantly affect net income between periods. We believe that including EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as financial and operating measures benefits investors in (a) selecting between investing in us and other investment alternatives and (b) monitoring our ongoing financial and operational strength and health in assessing whether to continue to hold our common units.

•

Liquidity. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA allows us to assess the ability of assets to generate cash sufficient to service debt, pay distributions and undertake capital expenditures. By eliminating the cash flow effect resulting from our existing capitalization and other items such as drydocking expenditures, working capital changes and foreign currency exchange gains and losses, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provides a consistent measure of our ability to generate cash over the long term. Management uses this information as a significant factor in determining (a) our proper capitalization (including assessing how much debt to incur and whether changes to the capitalization should be made) and (b) whether to undertake material capital expenditures and how to finance them, all in light of our cash distribution policy. Use of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a liquidity measure also permits investors to assess the fundamental ability of our business to generate cash sufficient to meet cash needs, including distributions on our common units.

Neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP measures, should be considered as an alternative to net income, income from vessel operations, cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude some, but not all, items that affect net income and operating income, and these measures may vary among other companies. Therefore, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as presented in this Report may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

The following table reconciles our historical consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income, and our historical consolidated Adjusted EBITDA to net operating cash flow.

RISK FACTORS

We may not have sufficient cash from operations to enable us to pay the current level of quarterly distributions on our common units following the establishment of cash reserves and payment of fees and expenses.

We may not have sufficient cash available each quarter to pay the current level of quarterly distributions on our common units. The amount of cash we can distribute on our common units principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which may fluctuate based on, among other things:

•

the rates we obtain from our charters;

•

the level of our operating costs, such as the cost of crews and insurance;

•

the continued availability of LNG and LPG production, liquefaction and regasification facilities;

•

the number of unscheduled off-hire days for our fleet and the timing of, and number of days required for, scheduled drydocking of our vessels;

•

delays in the delivery of newbuildings and the beginning of payments under charters relating to those vessels;

•

prevailing global and regional economic and political conditions;

•

currency exchange rate fluctuations; and

•

the effect of governmental regulations and maritime self-regulatory organization standards on the conduct of our business.

The actual amount of cash we will have available for distribution also will depend on factors such as:

•

the level of capital expenditures we make, including for maintaining vessels, building new vessels, acquiring existing vessels and complying with regulations;

•

our debt service requirements and restrictions on distributions contained in our debt instruments;

•

fluctuations in our working capital needs;

•

our ability to make working capital borrowings, including to pay distributions to unitholders; and

•

the amount of any cash reserves, including reserves for future capital expenditures and other matters, established by Teekay GP L.L.C., our general partner (or the General Partner ) in its discretion.

The amount of cash we generate from our operations may differ materially from our profit or loss for the period, which will be affected by non-cash items. As a result of this and the other factors mentioned above, we may make cash distributions during periods when we record losses and may not make cash distributions during periods when we record net income.

We make substantial capital expenditures to maintain the operating capacity of our fleet, which reduce our cash available for distribution. In addition, each quarter our General Partner is required to deduct estimated maintenance capital expenditures from operating surplus, which may result in less cash available to unitholders than if actual maintenance capital expenditures were deducted.

We must make substantial capital expenditures to maintain, over the long term, the operating capacity of our fleet. These maintenance capital expenditures include capital expenditures associated with drydocking a vessel, modifying an existing vessel or acquiring a new vessel to the extent these expenditures are incurred to maintain the operating capacity of our fleet. These expenditures could increase as a result of changes in:

•

the cost of labor and materials;

•

customer requirements;

•

increases in the size of our fleet;

•

governmental regulations and maritime self-regulatory organization standards relating to safety, security or the environment; and

•

competitive standards.

Our significant maintenance capital expenditures reduce the amount of cash we have available for distribution to our unitholders.

In addition, our actual maintenance capital expenditures vary significantly from quarter to quarter based on, among other things, the number of vessels drydocked during that quarter. Our partnership agreement requires our General Partner to deduct estimated, rather than actual, maintenance capital expenditures from operating surplus (as defined in our partnership agreement) each quarter in an effort to reduce fluctuations in operating surplus. The amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures deducted from operating surplus is subject to review and change by the conflicts committee of our General Partner’s board of directors at least once a year. In years when estimated maintenance capital expenditures are higher than actual maintenance capital expenditures — as we expect will be the case in the years we are not required to make expenditures for mandatory drydockings — the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders will be lower than if actual maintenance capital expenditures were deducted from operating surplus. If our General Partner underestimates the appropriate level of estimated maintenance capital expenditures, we may have less cash available for distribution in future periods when actual capital expenditures begin to exceed our previous estimates.

We will be required to make substantial capital expenditures to expand the size of our fleet. We generally will be required to make significant installment payments for acquisitions of newbuilding vessels prior to their delivery and generation of revenue. Depending on whether we finance our expenditures through cash from operations or by issuing debt or equity securities, our ability to make required payments on our debt securities and cash distributions on our common units may be diminished or our financial leverage could increase or our unitholders could be diluted.

We make substantial capital expenditures to increase the size of our fleet. As of the date of this Report, we have agreed to purchase from Teekay Corporation its interests in two newbuilding Multigas vessels and from I.M. Skaugen ASA (or Skaugen ) one LPG carrier. Teekay Corporation is obligated to offer to us its interests in additional vessels. Please read Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review and Prospects, for additional information about some of these pending and proposed acquisitions. In addition, we are obligated to purchase five of our leased Suezmax tankers upon the termination of the related capital leases, which will occur at various times in late 2011. On March 17, 2010 we acquired from Teekay Corporation, for a total purchase price of $160 million, two 2009-built Suezmax tankers and a 2007-built Handymax product tanker and the associated long-term charter contracts currently operating under 12 and 10 year fixed-rate contracts, respectively.

We and Teekay Corporation regularly evaluate and pursue opportunities to provide the marine transportation requirements for new or expanding LNG and LPG projects. The award process relating to LNG transportation opportunities typically involves various stages and takes several months to complete. Neither we nor Teekay Corporation may be awarded charters relating to any of the projects we or it pursues. If any LNG and LPG project charters are awarded to Teekay Corporation, it must offer them to us pursuant to the terms of an omnibus agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering. If we elect pursuant to the omnibus agreement to obtain Teekay Corporation’s interests in any projects Teekay Corporation may be awarded, or if we bid on and are awarded contracts relating to any LNG and LPG project, we will need to incur significant capital expenditures to buy Teekay Corporation’s interest in these LNG and LPG projects or to build the LNG and LPG carriers.

To fund the remaining portion of existing or future capital expenditures, we will be required to use cash from operations or incur borrowings or raise capital through the sale of debt or additional equity securities. Use of cash from operations will reduce cash available for distributions to unitholders. Our ability to obtain bank financing or to access the capital markets for future offerings may be limited by our financial condition at the time of any such financing or offering as well as by adverse market conditions resulting from, among other things, general economic conditions and contingencies and uncertainties that are beyond our control. Our failure to obtain the funds for necessary future capital expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and on our ability to make cash distributions. Even if we are successful in obtaining necessary funds, the terms of such financings could limit our ability to pay cash distributions to unitholders. In addition, incurring additional debt may significantly increase our interest expense and financial leverage, and issuing additional equity securities may result in significant unitholder dilution and would increase the aggregate amount of cash required to maintain our level of quarterly distributions to unitholders, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to make cash distributions.

A shipowner typically is required to expend substantial sums as progress payments during construction of a newbuilding, but does not derive any income from the vessel until after its delivery. If we were unable to obtain financing required to complete payments on any future newbuilding orders, we could effectively forfeit all or a portion of the progress payments previously made.

Our ability to grow may be adversely affected by our cash distribution policy.

Our cash distribution policy, which is consistent with our partnership agreement, requires us to distribute all of our available cash (as defined in our partnership agreement) each quarter. Accordingly, our growth may not be as fast as businesses that reinvest their available cash to expand ongoing operations.

Our substantial debt levels may limit our flexibility in obtaining additional financing and in pursuing other business opportunities.

As at December 31, 2009, our consolidated debt, capital lease obligations and advances from affiliates totaled $2.2 billion and we had the capacity to borrow an additional $0.38 billion under our credit facilities. These facilities may be used by us for general partnership purposes. If we are awarded contracts for new LNG or LPG projects, our consolidated debt and capital lease obligations will increase, perhaps significantly. We will continue to have the ability to incur additional debt, subject to limitations in our credit facilities. Our level of debt could have important consequences to us, including the following:

•

our ability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other purposes may be impaired or such financing may not be available on favorable terms;

•

we will need a substantial portion of our cash flow to make principal and interest payments on our debt, reducing the funds that would otherwise be available for operations, future business opportunities and distributions to unitholders;

•

our debt level may make us more vulnerable than our competitors with less debt to competitive pressures or a downturn in our industry or the economy generally; and

•

our debt level may limit our flexibility in responding to changing business and economic conditions.

Our ability to service our debt depends upon, among other things, our future financial and operating performance, which is affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If our operating results are not sufficient to service our current or future indebtedness, we will be forced to take actions such as reducing distributions, reducing or delaying our business activities, acquisitions, investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our debt, or seeking additional equity capital or bankruptcy protection. We may not be able to effect any of these remedies on satisfactory terms, or at all.

Financing agreements containing operating and financial restrictions may restrict our business and financing activities.

The operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our financing arrangements and any future financing agreements for us could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage, expand or pursue our business activities. For example, the arrangements may restrict our ability to:

•

incur or guarantee indebtedness;

•

change ownership or structure, including mergers, consolidations, liquidations and dissolutions;

•

make dividends or distributions when in default of the relevant loans;

•

make certain negative pledges and grant certain liens;

•

sell, transfer, assign or convey assets;

•

make certain investments; and

•

enter into a new line of business.

In addition, some of our financing arrangements require us to maintain a minimum level of tangible net worth and a minimum level of aggregate liquidity, a maximum level of leverage and require one of our subsidiaries to maintain restricted cash deposits. Our ability to comply with covenants and restrictions contained in debt instruments may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, compliance with these covenants may be impaired. If restrictions, covenants, ratios or tests in the financing agreements are breached, a significant portion of the obligations may become immediately due and payable, and the lenders’ commitment to make further loans may terminate. We might not have or be able to obtain sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments. In addition, our obligations under our existing credit facilities are secured by certain of our vessels, and if we are unable to repay debt under the credit facilities, the lenders could seek to foreclose on those assets.

Restrictions in our debt agreements may prevent us from paying distributions.

The payment of principal and interest on our debt and capital lease obligations reduces cash available for distribution to us and on our units. In addition, our financing agreements prohibit the payment of distributions upon the occurrence of the following events, among others:

•

failure to pay any principal, interest, fees, expenses or other amounts when due;

•

failure to notify the lenders of any material oil spill or discharge of hazardous material, or of any action or claim related thereto;

•

breach or lapse of any insurance with respect to vessels securing the facility;

•

breach of certain financial covenants;

•

failure to observe any other agreement, security instrument, obligation or covenant beyond specified cure periods in certain cases;

•

default under other indebtedness;

•

bankruptcy or insolvency events;

•

failure of any representation or warranty to be materially correct;

•

a change of control, as defined in the applicable agreement; and

•

a material adverse effect, as defined in the applicable agreement.

We derive a substantial majority of our revenues from a limited number of customers, and the loss of any customer, time-charter or vessel could result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flow.

We have derived, and believe that we will continue to derive, a significant portion of our revenues and cash flow from a limited number of customers. Please read Item 18 – Financial Statements: Note 4 Segment Reporting.

We could lose a customer or the benefits of a time-charter if:

•

the customer fails to make charter payments because of its financial inability, disagreements with us or otherwise;

•

the customer exercises certain rights to terminate the charter, purchase or cause the sale of the vessel or, under some of our charters, convert the time-charter to a bareboat charter (some of which rights are exercisable at any time);

•

the customer terminates the charter because we fail to deliver the vessel within a fixed period of time, the vessel is lost or damaged beyond repair, there are serious deficiencies in the vessel or prolonged periods of off-hire, or we default under the charter; or

•

under some of our time-charters, the customer terminates the charter because of the termination of the charterer’s sales agreement or a prolonged force majeure event affecting the customer, including damage to or destruction of relevant facilities, war or political unrest preventing us from performing services for that customer.

If we lose a key LNG or LPG time-charter, we may be unable to re-deploy the related vessel on terms as favorable to us due to the long-term nature of most LNG and LPG time-charters and the lack of an established LNG spot market. If we are unable to re-deploy an LNG carrier, we will not receive any revenues from that vessel, but we may be required to pay expenses necessary to maintain the vessel in proper operating condition. In addition, if a customer exercises its right to purchase a vessel, we would not receive any further revenue from the vessel and may be unable to obtain a substitute vessel and charter. This may cause us to receive decreased revenue and cash flows from having fewer vessels operating in our fleet. Any compensation under our charters for a purchase of the vessels may not adequately compensate us for the loss of the vessel and related time-charter.

If we lose a key Suezmax tanker customer, we may be unable to obtain other long-term Suezmax charters and may become subject to the volatile spot market, which is highly competitive and subject to significant price fluctuations. If a customer exercises its right under some charters to purchase or force a sale of the vessel, we may be unable to acquire an adequate replacement vessel or may be forced to construct a new vessel. Any replacement newbuilding would not generate revenues during its construction and we may be unable to charter any replacement vessel on terms as favorable to us as those of the terminated charter.

The loss of any of our customers, time-charters or vessels, or a decline in payments under our charters, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

We depend on Teekay Corporation to assist us in operating our business, competing in our markets, and providing interim financing for certain vessel acquisitions.

Pursuant to certain services agreements between us and certain of our operating subsidiaries, on the one hand, and certain subsidiaries of Teekay Corporation, on the other hand, the Teekay Corporation subsidiaries provide to us administrative services and to our operating subsidiaries significant operational services (including vessel maintenance, crewing for some of our vessels, purchasing, shipyard supervision, insurance and financial services) and other technical, advisory and administrative services. Our operational success and ability to execute our growth strategy depend significantly upon Teekay Corporation’s satisfactory performance of these services. Our business will be harmed if Teekay Corporation fails to perform these services satisfactorily or if Teekay Corporation stops providing these services to us.

Our ability to compete for the transportation requirements of LNG, LPG and oil projects and to enter into new time-charters and expand our customer relationships depends largely on our ability to leverage our relationship with Teekay Corporation and its reputation and relationships in the shipping industry. If Teekay Corporation suffers material damage to its reputation or relationships it may harm our ability to:

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renew existing charters upon their expiration;

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obtain new charters;

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successfully interact with shipyards during periods of shipyard construction constraints;

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obtain financing on commercially acceptable terms; or

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maintain satisfactory relationships with our employees and suppliers.

If our ability to do any of the things described above is impaired, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

Teekay Corporation is also incurring all costs for the construction and delivery of certain newbuildings, which we refer to as “warehousing.” Upon their delivery, we will purchase all of the interest of Teekay Corporation in the vessels at a price that will reimburse Teekay Corporation for these costs and compensate it for its average weighted cost of capital on the construction payments. We may enter into similar arrangements with Teekay Corporation or third parties in the future. If Teekay Corporation or any such third party fails to make construction payments for these newbuildings or other vessels warehoused for us, we could lose access to the vessels as a result of the default or we may need to finance these vessels before they begin operating and generating voyage revenues, which could harm our business and reduce our ability to make cash distributions.

Our main growth depends on continued growth in demand for LNG and LPG shipping.

Our growth strategy focuses on continued expansion in the LNG and LPG shipping sectors. Accordingly, our growth depends on continued growth in world and regional demand for LNG and LPG shipping, which could be negatively affected by a number of factors, such as:

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increases in the cost of natural gas derived from LNG relative to the cost of natural gas generally;

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increase in the cost of LPG relative to the cost of naphtha and other competing petrochemicals;

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increases in the production of natural gas in areas linked by pipelines to consuming areas, the extension of existing, or the development of new, pipeline systems in markets we may serve, or the conversion of existing non-natural gas pipelines to natural gas pipelines in those markets;

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decreases in the consumption of natural gas due to increases in its price relative to other energy sources or other factors making consumption of natural gas less attractive;

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additional sources of natural gas, including shale gas;

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availability of new, alternative energy sources, including compressed natural gas; and

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negative global or regional economic or political conditions, particularly in LNG and LPG consuming regions, which could reduce energy consumption or its growth.

Reduced demand for LNG and LPG shipping would have a material adverse effect on our future growth and could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Growth of the LNG market, and as a consequence, the LPG market, may be limited by infrastructure constraints and community environmental group resistance to new LNG infrastructure over concerns about the environment, safety and terrorism.

A complete LNG/LPG project includes production, liquefaction, regasification, storage and distribution facilities and LNG/LPG carriers. Existing LNG/LPG projects and infrastructure are limited, and new or expanded LNG/LPG projects are highly complex and capital-intensive, with new projects often costing several billion dollars. Many factors could negatively affect continued development of LNG/LPG infrastructure or disrupt the supply of LNG/LPG, including:

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increases in interest rates or other events that may affect the availability of sufficient financing for LNG/LPG projects on commercially reasonable terms;

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decreases in the price of LNG/LPG, which might decrease the expected returns relating to investments in LNG/LPG projects;

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the inability of project owners or operators to obtain governmental approvals to construct or operate LNG/LPG facilities;

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local community resistance to proposed or existing LNG/LPG facilities based on safety, environmental or security concerns;

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any significant explosion, spill or similar incident involving an LNG/LPG facility or LNG carrier; and

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labor or political unrest affecting existing or proposed areas of LNG/LPG production.

If the LNG/LPG supply chain is disrupted or does not continue to grow, or if a significant LNG/LPG explosion, spill or similar incident occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

Our growth depends on our ability to expand relationships with existing customers and obtain new customers, for which we will face substantial competition.

One of our principal objectives is to enter into additional long-term, fixed-rate LNG, LPG and oil time-charters. The process of obtaining new long-term time-charters is highly competitive and generally involves an intensive screening process and competitive bids, and often extends for several months. Shipping contracts are awarded based upon a variety of factors relating to the vessel operator, including:

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shipping industry relationships and reputation for customer service and safety;

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shipping experience and quality of ship operations (including cost effectiveness);

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quality and experience of seafaring crew;

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the ability to finance carriers at competitive rates and financial stability generally;

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relationships with shipyards and the ability to get suitable berths;

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construction management experience, including the ability to obtain on-time delivery of new vessels according to customer specifications;

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willingness to accept operational risks pursuant to the charter, such as allowing termination of the charter for force majeure events; and

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competitiveness of the bid in terms of overall price.

We compete for providing marine transportation services for potential energy projects with a number of experienced companies, including state-sponsored entities and major energy companies affiliated with the energy project requiring energy shipping services. Many of these competitors have significantly greater financial resources than we do or Teekay Corporation does. We anticipate that an increasing number of marine transportation companies — including many with strong reputations and extensive resources and experience — will enter the energy transportation sector. This increased competition may cause greater price competition for time-charters. As a result of these factors, we may be unable to expand our relationships with existing customers or to obtain new customers on a profitable basis, if at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

Delays in deliveries of newbuildings could harm our operating results and lead to the termination of related time-charters.

We have agreed to purchase various newbuilding vessels. The delivery of these vessels, or any other newbuildings we may order or otherwise acquire, could be delayed, which would delay our receipt of revenues under the time-charters for the vessels. In addition, under some of our charters if our delivery of a vessel to our customer is delayed, we may be required to pay liquidated damages in amounts equal to or, under some charters, almost double, the hire rate during the delay. For prolonged delays, the customer may terminate the time-charter and, in addition to the resulting loss of revenues, we may be responsible for additional, substantial liquidated damages.

Our receipt of newbuildings could be delayed because of:

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quality or engineering problems;

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changes in governmental regulations or maritime self-regulatory organization standards;

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work stoppages or other labor disturbances at the shipyard;

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bankruptcy or other financial crisis of the shipbuilder;

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a backlog of orders at the shipyard;

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political or economic disturbances where our vessels are being or may be built;

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weather interference or catastrophic event, such as a major earthquake or fire;

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our requests for changes to the original vessel specifications;

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shortages of or delays in the receipt of necessary construction materials, such as steel;

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our inability to finance the purchase of the vessels; or

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our inability to obtain requisite permits or approvals.

If delivery of a vessel is materially delayed, it could adversely affect our results or operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

We may have more difficulty entering into long-term, fixed-rate LNG time-charters if an active short-term or spot shipping market develops.

LNG shipping historically has been transacted with long-term, fixed-rate time-charters, usually with terms ranging from 20 to 25 years. One of our principal strategies is to enter into additional long-term, fixed-rate LNG time-charters. In recent years the number of spot and short term LNG charters which we defined as charters under four years has been increasing. In 2008 they accounted for approximately 18% of global LNG trade.

If an active spot or short-term market continues to develop, we may have increased difficulty entering into long-term, fixed-rate time-charters for our LNG vessels and, as a result, our cash flow may decrease and be less stable. In addition, an active short-term or spot LNG market may require us to enter into charters based on changing market prices, as opposed to contracts based on a fixed rate, which could result in a decrease in our cash flow in periods when the market price for shipping LNG is depressed or insufficient funds are available to cover our financing costs for related vessels.

Over time vessel values may fluctuate substantially and, if these values are lower at a time when we are attempting to dispose of a vessel, we may incur a loss.

Vessel values for LNG and LPG carriers and Suezmax tankers can fluctuate substantially over time due to a number of different factors, including:

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prevailing economic conditions in natural gas, oil and energy markets;

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a substantial or extended decline in demand for natural gas, LNG, LPG or oil;

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increases in the supply of vessel capacity; and

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the cost of retrofitting or modifying existing vessels, as a result of technological advances in vessel design or equipment, changes in applicable environmental or other regulation or standards, or otherwise.

Vessel values have declined substantially during the last two years and may decline further. If a charter terminates, we may be unable to re-deploy the vessel at attractive rates and, rather than continue to incur costs to maintain and finance it, may seek to dispose of it. Our inability to dispose of the vessel at a reasonable value could result in a loss on its sale and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We may be unable to make or realize expected benefits from acquisitions, and implementing our growth strategy through acquisitions may harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our growth strategy includes selectively acquiring existing LNG carriers or LNG shipping businesses. Historically, there have been very few purchases of existing vessels and businesses in the LNG shipping industry. Factors that may contribute to a limited number of acquisition opportunities in the LNG/LPG industries in the near term include the relatively small number of independent LNG/LPG fleet owners and the limited number of LNG/LPG carriers not subject to existing long-term charter contracts. In addition, competition from other companies could reduce our acquisition opportunities or cause us to pay higher prices.

Any acquisition of a vessel or business may not be profitable to us at or after the time we acquire it and may not generate cash flow sufficient to justify our investment. In addition, our acquisition growth strategy exposes us to risks that may harm our business, financial condition and operating results, including risks that we may:

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fail to realize anticipated benefits, such as new customer relationships, cost-savings or cash flow enhancements;

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be unable to hire, train or retain qualified shore and seafaring personnel to manage and operate our growing business and fleet;

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decrease our liquidity by using a significant portion of our available cash or borrowing capacity to finance acquisitions;

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significantly increase our interest expense or financial leverage if we incur additional debt to finance acquisitions;

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incur or assume unanticipated liabilities, losses or costs associated with the business or vessels acquired; or

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incur other significant charges, such as impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets, asset devaluation or restructuring charges.

Unlike newbuildings, existing vessels typically do not carry warranties as to their condition. While we generally inspect existing vessels prior to purchase, such an inspection would normally not provide us with as much knowledge of a vessel’s condition as we would possess if it had been built for us and operated by us during its life. Repairs and maintenance costs for existing vessels are difficult to predict and may be substantially higher than for vessels we have operated since they were built. These costs could decrease our cash flow and reduce our liquidity.

Terrorist attacks, piracy, increased hostilities or war could lead to further economic instability, increased costs and disruption of our business.

Terrorist attacks, piracy, and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and other current and future conflicts, may adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, ability to raise capital and future growth. Continuing hostilities in the Middle East may lead to additional armed conflicts or to further acts of terrorism and civil disturbance in the United States, Spain or elsewhere, which may contribute further to economic instability and disruption of LNG/LPG and oil production and distribution, which could result in reduced demand for our services.

In addition, LNG, LPG and oil facilities, shipyards, vessels, pipelines and oil and gas fields could be targets of future terrorist attacks and our vessels could be targets of pirates or hijackers. Any such attacks could lead to, among other things, bodily injury or loss of life, vessel or other property damage, increased vessel operational costs, including insurance costs, and the inability to transport LNG, LPG, natural gas and oil to or from certain locations. Terrorist attacks, war, piracy, hijacking or other events beyond our control that adversely affect the distribution, production or transportation of LNG, LPG or oil to be shipped by us could entitle our customers to terminate our charter contracts, which would harm our cash flow and our business.

Terrorist attacks, or the perception that LNG/LPG facilities and carriers are potential terrorist targets, could materially and adversely affect expansion of LNG/LPG infrastructure and the continued supply of LNG/LPG to the United States and other countries. Concern that LNG/LPG facilities may be targeted for attack by terrorists has contributed to significant community and environmental resistance to the construction of a number of LNG/LPG facilities, primarily in North America. If a terrorist incident involving an LNG/LPG facility or LNG/LPG carrier did occur, in addition to the possible effects identified in the previous paragraph, the incident may adversely affect construction of additional LNG facilities in the United States and other countries or lead to the temporary or permanent closing of various LNG/LPG facilities currently in operation.

Our substantial operations outside the United States expose us to political, governmental and economic instability, which could harm our operations.

Because our operations are primarily conducted outside of the United States, they may be affected by economic, political and governmental conditions in the countries where we are engaged in business or where our vessels are registered. Any disruption caused by these factors could harm our business. In particular, we derive a substantial portion of our revenues from shipping LNG and oil from politically unstable regions. Past political conflicts in these regions, particularly in the Arabian Gulf, have included attacks on ships, mining of waterways and other efforts to disrupt shipping in the area.

Future hostilities or other political instability in the Arabian Gulf or other regions where we operate or may operate could have a material adverse effect on the growth of our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions. In addition, tariffs, trade embargoes and other economic sanctions by Spain, the United States or other countries against countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia or elsewhere as a result of terrorist attacks, hostilities or otherwise may limit trading activities with those countries, which could also harm our business and ability to make cash distributions.

Marine transportation is inherently risky, and an incident involving significant loss of or environmental contamination by any of our vessels could harm our reputation and business.

Our vessels and their cargoes are at risk of being damaged or lost because of events such as:

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marine disasters;

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bad weather;

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mechanical failures;

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grounding, fire, explosions and collisions;

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piracy;

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human error; and

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war and terrorism.

An accident involving any of our vessels could result in any of the following:

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death or injury to persons, loss of property or environmental damage;

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delays in the delivery of cargo;

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loss of revenues from or termination of charter contracts;

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governmental fines, penalties or restrictions on conducting business;

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higher insurance rates; and

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damage to our reputation and customer relationships generally.

Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our insurance may be insufficient to cover losses that may occur to our property or result from our operations.

The operation of LNG and LPG carriers and oil tankers is inherently risky. Although we carry hull and machinery (marine and war risks) and protection and indemnity insurance, all risks may not be adequately insured against, and any particular claim may not be paid. In addition, we do not generally carry insurance on our vessels covering the loss of revenues resulting from vessel off-hire time based on its cost compared to our off-hire experience. Any claims covered by insurance would be subject to deductibles, and since it is possible that a large number of claims may be brought, the aggregate amount of these deductibles could be material. Certain of our insurance coverage is maintained through mutual protection and indemnity associations, and as a member of such associations we may be required to make additional payments over and above budgeted premiums if member claims exceed association reserves.

We may be unable to procure adequate insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates in the future. For example, more stringent environmental regulations have led in the past to increased costs for, and in the future may result in the lack of availability of, insurance against risks of environmental damage or pollution. A catastrophic oil spill or marine disaster could result in losses that exceed our insurance coverage, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Any uninsured or underinsured loss could harm our business and financial condition. In addition, our insurance may be voidable by the insurers as a result of certain of our actions, such as our ships failing to maintain certification with applicable maritime self-regulatory organizations.

Changes in the insurance markets attributable to terrorist attacks may also make certain types of insurance more difficult for us to obtain. In addition, the insurance that may be available may be significantly more expensive than our existing coverage.

The marine energy transportation industry is subject to substantial environmental and other regulations, which may significantly limit our operations or increase our expenses.

Our operations are affected by extensive and changing international, national and local environmental protection laws, regulations, treaties and conventions in force in international waters, the jurisdictional waters of the countries in which our vessels operate, as well as the countries of our vessels’ registration, including those governing oil spills, discharges to air and water, and the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Many of these requirements are designed to reduce the risk of oil spills and other pollution. In addition, we believe that the heightened environmental, quality and security concerns of insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers will lead to additional regulatory requirements, including enhanced risk assessment and security requirements and greater inspection and safety requirements on vessels. We expect to incur substantial expenses in complying with these laws and regulations, including expenses for vessel modifications and changes in operating procedures.

These requirements can affect the resale value or useful lives of our vessels, require a reduction in cargo capacity, ship modifications or operational changes or restrictions, lead to decreased availability of insurance coverage for environmental matters or result in the denial of access to certain jurisdictional waters or ports, or detention in, certain ports. Under local, national and foreign laws, as well as international treaties and conventions, we could incur material liabilities, including cleanup obligations, in the event that there is a release of petroleum or other hazardous substances from our vessels or otherwise in connection with our operations. We could also become subject to personal injury or property damage claims relating to the release of or exposure to hazardous materials associated with our operations. In addition, failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or the suspension or termination of our operations, including, in certain instances, seizure or detention of our vessels. For further information about regulations affecting our business and related requirements on us, please read Item 4 — Information on the Partnership: C. Regulations.

Climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions may adversely impact our operations and markets.

Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These regulatory measures include, among others, adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, increased efficiency standards, and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. Compliance with changes in laws, regulations and obligations relating to climate change could increase our costs related to operating and maintaining our vessels and require us to install new emission controls, acquire allowances or pay taxes related to our greenhouse gas emissions, or administer and manage a greenhouse gas emissions program. Revenue generation and strategic growth opportunities may also be adversely affected.

Adverse effects upon the oil and gas industry relating to climate change may also adversely affect demand for our services. Although we do not expect that demand for oil and gas will lessen dramatically over the short term, in the long term climate change may reduce the demand for oil and gas or increased regulation of greenhouse gases may create greater incentives for use of alternative energy sources. Any long-term material adverse effect on the oil and gas industry could have a significant financial and operational adverse impact on our business that we cannot predict with certainty at this time.

Exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations will result in fluctuations in our cash flows and operating results.

We are paid in Euros under some of our charters, and a majority of our vessel operating expenses and general and administrative expenses currently are denominated in Euros, which is primarily a function of the nationality of our crew and administrative staff. We also make payments under two Euro-denominated term loans. If the amount of our Euro-denominated obligations exceeds our Euro-denominated revenues, we must convert other currencies, primarily the U.S. Dollar, into Euros. An increase in the strength of the Euro relative to the U.S. Dollar would require us to convert more U.S. Dollars to Euros to satisfy those obligations, which would cause us to have less cash available for distribution. In addition, if we do not have sufficient U.S. Dollars, we may be required to convert Euros into U.S. Dollars for distributions to unitholders. An increase in the strength of the U.S. Dollar relative to the Euro could cause us to have less cash available for distribution in this circumstance. We have not entered into currency swaps or forward contracts or similar derivatives to mitigate this risk.

Because we report our operating results in U.S. Dollars, changes in the value of the U.S. Dollar relative to the Euro also result in fluctuations in our reported revenues and earnings. In addition, under U.S. accounting guidelines, all foreign currency-denominated monetary assets and liabilities such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, restricted cash, accounts payable, long-term debt and capital lease obligations, are revalued and reported based on the prevailing exchange rate at the end of the period. This revaluation historically has caused us to report significant non-monetary foreign currency exchange gains or losses each period. The primary source for these gains and losses is our Euro-denominated term loans.

Many of our seafaring employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements and the failure to renew those agreements or any future labor agreements may disrupt our operations and adversely affect our cash flows.

A significant portion of our seafarers, and the seafarers employed by Teekay Corporation and its other affiliates that crew some of our vessels, are employed under collective bargaining agreements. The collective bargaining agreement for our Filipino LNG tanker crew members (covering four Spanish LNG tankers) has been renewed. The collective bargaining agreement for our Spanish Suezmax Seafarers was extensively renegotiated in 2009. This agreement includes for a phased transfer from Spanish ratings to Filipino ratings, with the first vessel changing in November 2009, and further vessels in 2010 and 2011 when the agreement expires. We also renewed the Spanish LNG tanker officers collective bargaining agreement was renewed in 2009, and is valid through to the end of 2010. We may be subject to similar labor agreements in the future. Crew compensation levels under new or renegotiated collective bargaining agreements may exceed existing compensation levels, which would adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. We may be subject to labor disruptions in the future if our relationships deteriorate with our seafarers or the unions that represent them. Our collective bargaining agreements may not prevent labor disruptions, particularly when the agreements are being renegotiated. Any labor disruptions could harm our operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

Teekay Corporation may be unable to attract and retain qualified, skilled employees or crew necessary to operate our business, or may have to pay substantially increased costs for its employees and crew.

Our success depends in large part on Teekay Corporation’s ability to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel. In crewing our vessels, we require technically skilled employees with specialized training who can perform physically demanding work. Competition to attract and retain qualified crew members is intense. These costs have continued to increase to date in 2010, but to a lesser extent compared to 2009.

If we are not able to increase our rates to compensate for any crew cost increases, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Any inability we experience in the future to hire, train and retain a sufficient number of qualified employees could impair our ability to manage, maintain and grow our business.

Due to our lack of diversification, adverse developments in our LNG, LPG or oil marine transportation businesses could reduce our ability to make distributions to our unitholders.

We rely exclusively on the cash flow generated from our LNG and LPG carriers and Suezmax oil tankers that operate in the LNG, LPG and oil marine transportation business. Due to our lack of diversification, an adverse development in the LNG, LPG or oil shipping industry would have a significantly greater impact on our financial condition and results of operations than if we maintained more diverse assets or lines of business.

Teekay Corporation and its affiliates may engage in competition with us.

Teekay Corporation and its affiliates, including Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. (or Teekay Offshore ), may engage in competition with us. Pursuant to an omnibus agreement between Teekay Corporation, Teekay Offshore, us and other related parties, Teekay Corporation, Teekay Offshore and their respective controlled affiliates (other than us and our subsidiaries) generally have agreed not to own, operate or charter LNG carriers without the consent of our General Partner. The omnibus agreement, however, allows Teekay Corporation, Teekay Offshore or any of such controlled affiliates to:

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acquire LNG carriers and related time-charters as part of a business if a majority of the value of the total assets or business acquired is not attributable to the LNG carriers and time-charters, as determined in good faith by the board of directors of Teekay Corporation or the board of directors of Teekay Offshore’s general partner; however, if at any time Teekay Corporation or Teekay Offshore completes such an acquisition, it must offer to sell the LNG carriers and related time-charters to us for their fair market value plus any additional tax or other similar costs to Teekay Corporation or Teekay Offshore that would be required to transfer the LNG carriers and time-charters to us separately from the acquired business; or

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own, operate and charter LNG carriers that relate to a bid or award for a proposed LNG project that Teekay Corporation or any of its subsidiaries has submitted or hereafter submits or receives; however, at least 180 days prior to the scheduled delivery date of any such LNG carrier, Teekay Corporation must offer to sell the LNG carrier and related time-charter to us, with the vessel valued at its “fully-built-up cost,” which represents the aggregate expenditures incurred (or to be incurred prior to delivery to us) by Teekay Corporation to acquire or construct and bring such LNG carrier to the condition and location necessary for our intended use, plus a reasonable allocation of overhead costs related to the development of such a project and other projects that would have been subject to the offer rights set forth in the omnibus agreement but were not completed.

If we decline the offer to purchase the LNG carriers and time-charters described above, Teekay Corporation or Teekay Offshore may own and operate the LNG carriers, but may not expand that portion of its business.

In addition, pursuant to the omnibus agreement, Teekay Corporation, Teekay Offshore or any of their respective controlled affiliates (other than us and our subsidiaries) may:

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acquire, operate or charter LNG carriers if our General Partner has previously advised Teekay Corporation or Teekay Offshore that the board of directors of our General Partner has elected, with the approval of the conflicts committee of its board of directors, not to cause us or our subsidiaries to acquire or operate the carriers;

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acquire up to a 9.9% equity ownership, voting or profit participation interest in any publicly traded company that owns or operate LNG carriers; and

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provide ship management services relating to LNG carriers.

If there is a change of control of Teekay Corporation or Teekay Offshore, the non-competition provisions of the omnibus agreement may terminate, which termination could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions.

Our General Partner and its other affiliates have conflicts of interest and limited fiduciary duties, which may permit them to favor their own interests to those of unitholders.

Teekay Corporation, which owns and controls our General Partner, indirectly owns the 2% General Partner interest and as at March 1, 2010 owned a 48.2% limited partner interest in us. Conflicts of interest may arise between Teekay Corporation and its affiliates, including our General Partner, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts, our General Partner may favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates over the interests of our unitholders. These conflicts include, among others, the following situations:

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neither our partnership agreement nor any other agreement requires our General Partner or Teekay Corporation to pursue a business strategy that favors us or utilizes our assets, and Teekay Corporation’s officers and directors have a fiduciary duty to make decisions in the best interests of the stockholders of Teekay Corporation, which may be contrary to our interests;

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the executive officers and three of the directors of our General Partner also currently serve as executive officers or directors of Teekay Corporation;

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our General Partner is allowed to take into account the interests of parties other than us, such as Teekay Corporation, in resolving conflicts of interest, which has the effect of limiting its fiduciary duty to our unitholders;

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our General Partner has limited its liability and reduced its fiduciary duties under the laws of the Marshall Islands, while also restricting the remedies available to our unitholders, and as a result of purchasing common units, unitholders are treated as having agreed to the modified standard of fiduciary duties and to certain actions that may be taken by our General Partner, all as set forth in our partnership agreement;

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our General Partner determines the amount and timing of our asset purchases and sales, capital expenditures, borrowings, issuances of additional partnership securities and reserves, each of which can affect the amount of cash that is available for distribution to our unitholders;

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in some instances our General Partner may cause us to borrow funds in order to permit the payment of cash distributions, even if the purpose or effect of the borrowing is to make a distribution on our subordinated units or to make incentive distributions (in each case to affiliates to Teekay Corporation);

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our General Partner determines which costs incurred by it and its affiliates are reimbursable by us;

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our partnership agreement does not restrict our General Partner from causing us to pay it or its affiliates for any services rendered to us on terms that are fair and reasonable or entering into additional contractual arrangements with any of these entities on our behalf;

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our General Partner controls the enforcement of obligations owed to us by it and its affiliates; and

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our General Partner decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants or others to perform services for us.

Certain of our lease arrangements contain provisions whereby we have provided a tax indemnification to third parties.

We and a joint venture partner are the lessee under 30-year capital lease arrangements with a third party for three LNG carriers. Under the terms of these capital lease arrangements, the lessor claims tax depreciation on the capital expenditures it incurred to acquire these vessels. As is typical in these leasing arrangements, tax and change of law risks are assumed by the lessee. The rentals payable under the lease arrangements are predicated on the basis of certain tax and financial assumptions at the commencement of the leases. If an assumption proves to be incorrect or there is a change in the applicable tax legislation, the lessor is entitled to increase the rentals so as to maintain its agreed after-tax margin. However, the terms of the lease arrangements enable us and our joint venture partner to terminate the lease arrangement on a voluntary basis at any time. In the event of an early termination of the lease arrangements, the joint venture may be obliged to pay termination sums to the lessor sufficient to repay its investment in the vessels and to compensate it for the tax effect of the terminations, including recapture of tax depreciation, if any.

In addition, the subsidiaries of another joint venture formed to service the Tangguh LNG project in Indonesia have entered into lease arrangements with a third party for two LNG carriers. We purchased Teekay Corporation’s interest in this joint venture in 2009.  The terms of the lease arrangements provide similar tax and change of law risk assumption by this joint venture as we have with the three LNG carriers above.

The continuation of recent economic conditions, including disruptions in the global credit markets, could adversely affect our results of operations.

The recent economic downturn and financial crisis in the global markets have produced illiquidity in the capital markets, market volatility, heightened exposure to interest rate and credit risks and reduced access to capital markets. If this economic downturn continues, we may face restricted access to the capital markets or secured debt lenders, such as our revolving credit facilities. The decreased access to such resources could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The recent economic downturn may affect our customers’ ability to charter our vessels and pay for our services and may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The recent economic downturn in the global financial markets may lead to a decline in our customers’ operations or ability to pay for our services, which could result in decreased demand for our vessels and services. Our customer’s inability to pay could also result in their default on our current contracts and charters. The decline in the amount of services requested by our customers or their default on our contracts with them could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot determine whether the difficult conditions in the economy and the financial markets will improve or worsen in the near future.

The decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Tidewater Inc. v. United States creates greater uncertainty whether we will be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In order for us to be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, more than 90% of our gross income each year must be “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code ). For this purpose, “qualifying income” includes income from providing marine transportation services to customers with respect to crude oil, natural gas and certain products thereof but may not include rental income from leasing vessels to customers.

The decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Tidewater Inc. v. United States, 565 F.3d 299 (5th Cir. 2009) held that income derived from certain time chartering activities should be treated as rental income rather than service income for purposes of a foreign sales corporation provision of the Code. After the Tidewater decision, there is greater uncertainty regarding the status of a significant portion of our income as “qualifying income” and therefore greater uncertainty whether we are classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Please read “Item 4 – Information on the Partnership – F. Taxation of the Partnership — United States Taxation – Classification as a Partnership.”

Some of our subsidiaries that are classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes might be treated as “passive foreign investment companies,” which could result in additional taxes to our unitholders.

Certain of our subsidiaries that are classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes could be treated as “passive foreign investment companies” (or PFICs) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. U.S. shareholders of a PFIC are subject to an adverse U.S. federal income tax regime with respect to the income derived by the PFIC, the distributions they receive from the PFIC, and the gain, if any, they derive from the sale or other disposition of their interests in the PFIC. Please read “Item 10 – Additional Information — Taxation to Unitholders – United States Tax Consequences – Consequences of Possible PFIC Classification.”

Teekay Corporation owns less than 50% of our outstanding equity interests, which could cause certain of our subsidiaries and us to be subject to additional tax.

Certain of our subsidiaries are classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As such, these subsidiaries will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the U.S. source portion of our income attributable to transportation that begins or ends (but not both) in the United States if they fail to qualify for an exemption from U.S. federal income tax (the Section 883 Exemption ). Teekay Corporation indirectly owns less than 50% of certain of our subsidiaries’ and our outstanding equity interests. Consequently, we expect these subsidiaries will fail to qualify for the Section 883 Exemption in 2010 and subsequent tax years. Any resulting imposition of U.S. federal income taxes will result in decreased cash available for distribution to common unitholders.

In addition, if we cease to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we expect that we also would fail to qualify for the Section 883 Exemption in 2010 and subsequent tax years and that any resulting imposition of U.S. federal income taxes would result in decreased cash available for distribution to common unitholders. Please read “Item 4 – Information on the Partnership – F. Taxation of the Partnership – United States Taxation – Taxation of our Subsidiary Corporations: The Section 883 Exemption.”

The Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) may challenge the manner in which we value our assets in determining the amount of income, gain, loss and deduction allocable to the unitholders, which could adversely affect the value of the common units.

A unitholder’s taxable income or loss with respect to a common unit each year will depend upon a number of factors, including the nature and fair market value of our assets at the time the holder acquired the common unit, whether we issue additional units or whether we engage in certain other transactions, and the manner in which our items of income, gain, loss and deduction are allocated among our partners. For this purpose, we determine the value of our assets and the relative amounts of our items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocable to our unitholders and our general partner as holder of the incentive distribution rights by reference to the value of our interests, including the incentive distribution rights. The IRS may challenge any valuation determinations that we make, particularly as to the incentive distribution rights, for which there is no public market. In addition, the IRS could challenge certain other aspects of the manner in which we determine the relative allocations made to our unitholders and to the general partner as holder of our incentive distribution rights. A successful IRS challenge to our valuation or allocation methods could increase the amount of net taxable income and gain realized by a unitholder with respect to a common unit. Any such IRS challenge, whether or not successful, could adversely affect the value of our common units.

We may be subject to taxes, which reduces our cash available for distribution to you.

We or our subsidiaries are subject to tax in certain jurisdictions in which we or our subsidiaries are organized, own assets or have operations, which reduces the amount of our cash available for distribution. In computing our tax obligations in these jurisdictions, we are required to take various tax accounting and reporting positions on matters that are not entirely free from doubt and for which we have not received rulings from the governing authorities. We cannot assure you that upon review of these positions, the applicable authorities will agree with our positions. A successful challenge by a tax authority could result in additional tax imposed on us or our subsidiaries, further reducing the cash available for distribution. In addition, changes in our operations or ownership could result in additional tax being imposed on us or on our subsidiaries in jurisdictions in which operations are conducted. Also, jurisdictions in which we or our subsidiaries are organized, own assets or have operations may change their tax laws, or we may enter into new business transactions relating to such jurisdictions, which could result in increased tax liability and reduce the amount of our cash available for distribution.

Item 4. Information on the Partnership

A. Overview, History and Development

Overview and History

Teekay LNG Partners L.P. is an international provider of marine transportation services for LNG, LPG and crude oil. We were formed in 2004 by Teekay Corporation (NYSE: TK), the world’s largest owner and operator of medium sized crude oil tankers, to expand its operations in the LNG shipping sector. Our primary growth strategy focuses on expanding our fleet of LNG and LPG carriers under long-term, fixed-rate time-charters. We intend to continue our practice of acquiring LNG and LPG carriers as needed for approved projects only after the long-term charters for the projects have been awarded to us, rather than ordering vessels on a speculative basis. In executing our growth strategy, we may engage in vessel or business acquisitions or enter into joint ventures and partnerships with companies that may provide increased access to emerging opportunities from global expansion of the LNG and LPG sectors. We seek to leverage the expertise, relationships and reputation of Teekay Corporation and its affiliates to pursue these opportunities in the LNG and LPG sectors and may consider other opportunities to which our competitive strengths are well suited. We view our Suezmax tanker fleet primarily as a source of stable cash flow as we seek to continue to expand our LNG and LPG operations.

As of March 1, 2010, our fleet, excluding newbuildings, consisted of 15 LNG carriers (including the four RasGas 3 LNG Carriers which are accounted for under the equity method), eight Suezmax-class crude oil tankers and three LPG carriers, all of which are double-hulled. Our fleet is young, with an average age of approximately six years for our LNG carriers, approximately seven years for our Suezmax tankers, and approximately three years for our LPG carriers, compared to world averages of 10, 9 and 16 years, respectively, as of December 31, 2009. On March 17, 2010, we acquired from Teekay Corporation two additional Suezmax tankers and one Handymax product tanker, all of which operate under long-term, fixed-rate contracts.

Our vessels operate under long-term, fixed-rate time-charters with major energy and utility companies and Teekay Corporation. The average remaining term for these charters including the acquisitions on March 17, 2010, is approximately 18 years for our LNG carriers, approximately 11 years for our Conventional tankers (Suezmax and Handymax), and approximately 12 years for our LPG carriers, subject, in certain circumstances, to termination or vessel purchase rights.

Our fleet of existing LNG carriers currently has approximately 2.3 million cubic meters of total capacity. The aggregate capacity of our Conventional tanker fleet, including our recently acquired tankers, is approximately 1.6 million deadweight tonnes ( dwt ). Upon delivery of the three remaining LPG newbuilding carriers, the total capacity of our fleet of LPG carriers will increase to approximately 60,000 cubic meters.

Our original fleet was established by Naviera F. Tapias S.A. (or Tapias ), a private Spanish company founded in 1991 to ship crude oil. Tapias began shipping LNG with the acquisition of its first LNG carrier in 2002. Teekay Corporation acquired Tapias in April 2004 and changed its name to Teekay Shipping Spain S.L. (or Teekay Spain ). As part of the acquisition, Teekay Spain retained its senior management, including its chief executive officer, and other personnel who continue to manage the day-to-day operations of Teekay Spain with input on strategic decisions from our General Partner. Teekay Spain also obtains strategic consulting, advisory, ship management, technical and administrative services from affiliates of Teekay Corporation.

We were formed in connection with our initial public offering. Upon the closing of that offering on May 10, 2005, we acquired Teekay Spain and other assets, and began operating as a publicly-traded limited partnership.

We are incorporated under the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands as Teekay LNG Partners L.P. and maintain our principal executive headquarters at 4 ^th Floor, Belvedere Building, 69 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton, HM 08, Bermuda. Our telephone number at such address is (441) 298-2530.

B. Operations

Our Charters

We generate revenues by charging customers for the transportation of their LNG, LPG and crude oil using our vessels. Historically, we generally have provided these services under the following basic types of contractual relationships:

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Time-charters, where vessels are chartered to customers for a fixed period of time at rates that are generally fixed but may contain a variable component based on inflation, interest rates or current market rates; and

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Voyage charters, which are charters for shorter intervals, usually a single round trip, that are priced on a current, or “spot,” market rate.

In the last several years, we have derived 100% of our revenues from time-charters. During these periods, all our vessels were employed on long-term time-charters. We do not anticipate earning revenues from voyage charters in the foreseeable future.

“Hire” rate refers to the basic payment from the customer for the use of a vessel. Hire is payable monthly, in advance, in U.S. Dollars or Euros, as specified in the charter. The hire rate generally includes two components – a capital cost component and an operating expense component. The capital component typically approximates the amount we are required to pay under vessel financing obligations and, for all but three of our existing Suezmax tankers, adjusts for changes in the floating interest rates relating to the underlying vessel financing. The operating component, which adjusts annually for inflation, is intended to compensate us for vessel operating expenses and provide us a profit.

The time-charters for three of our Suezmax tankers include a fixed monthly rate for their initial 12-year term, which increases for any extensions. These time-charters do not include separately identified capital or operating components or adjust for inflation.

For most of our charters, we earn a profit from a margin built into the operating component. Under other charters, this margin is built into the capital component.

In addition, we may receive additional revenues beyond the fixed hire rate when current market rates exceed specified amounts under our time-charter for one Suezmax tanker, the Teide Spirit .

Hire payments may be reduced or, under some charters, we must pay liquidated damages, if the vessel does not perform to certain of its specifications, such as if the average vessel speed falls below a guaranteed speed or the amount of fuel consumed to power the vessel under normal circumstances exceeds a guaranteed amount. Historically, we have had few instances of hire rate reductions and none that have had a material impact on our operating results.

When a vessel is “off-hire”—or not available for service—generally the customer is not required to pay the hire rate and we are responsible for all costs. Prolonged off-hire may lead to vessel substitution or termination of the time-charter. A vessel will be deemed to be off-hire if it is in drydock. We must periodically drydock each of our vessels for inspection, repairs and maintenance and any modifications to comply with industry certification or governmental requirements. In addition, a vessel generally will be deemed off-hire if there is a loss of time due to, among other things: operational deficiencies; equipment breakdowns; delays due to accidents, crewing strikes, certain vessel detentions or similar problems; or our failure to maintain the vessel in compliance with its specifications and contractual standards or to provide the required crew.

Liquefied Gas Segment

LNG Carriers

The LNG carriers in our liquefied gas segment compete in the LNG market. LNG carriers are usually chartered to carry LNG pursuant to time-charter contracts, where a vessel is hired for a fixed period of time, usually between 20 and 25 years, and the charter rate is payable to the owner on a monthly basis. LNG shipping historically has been transacted with long-term, fixed-rate time-charter contracts. LNG projects require significant capital expenditures and typically involve an integrated chain of dedicated facilities and cooperative activities. Accordingly, the overall success of an LNG project depends heavily on long-range planning and coordination of project activities, including marine transportation. Most shipping requirements for new LNG projects continue to be provided on a long-term basis, though the level of spot voyages (typically consisting of a single voyage) and short-term time-charters of less than 12 months duration have grown in the past few years.

In the LNG market, we compete principally with other private and state-controlled energy and utilities companies that generally operate captive fleets, and independent ship owners and operators. Many major energy companies compete directly with independent owners by transporting LNG for third parties in addition to their own LNG. Given the complex, long-term nature of LNG projects, major energy companies historically have transported LNG through their captive fleets. However, independent fleet operators have been obtaining an increasing percentage of charters for new or expanded LNG projects as some major energy companies have continued to divest non-core businesses.

LNG carriers transport LNG internationally between liquefaction facilities and import terminals. After natural gas is transported by pipeline from production fields to a liquefaction facility, it is supercooled to a temperature of approximately negative 260 degrees Fahrenheit. This process reduces its volume to approximately 1/600 ^th of its volume in a gaseous state. The reduced volume facilitates economical storage and transportation by ship over long distances, enabling countries with limited natural gas reserves or limited access to long-distance transmission pipelines to import natural gas. LNG carriers include a sophisticated containment system that holds and insulates the LNG so it maintains its liquid form. LNG is transported overseas in specially built tanks on double-hulled ships to a receiving terminal, where it is offloaded and stored in heavily insulated tanks. In regasification facilities at the receiving terminal, the LNG is returned to its gaseous state (or regasified ) and then shipped by pipeline for distribution to natural gas customers.

Most new vessels, including all of our LNG carriers, are being built with a membrane containment system. These systems are built inside the carrier and consist of insulation between thin primary and secondary barriers that are designed to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction without overstressing the membrane. New LNG carriers are generally expected to have a lifespan of approximately 35 to 40 years. Unlike the oil tanker industry, there currently are no regulations that require the phase-out from trading of LNG carriers after they reach a certain age. As at December 31, 2009 our LNG carriers had an average age of approximately six years, compared to the world LNG carrier fleet average age of approximately 10 years. In addition, as at that date, there were approximately 338 vessels in the world LNG fleet and approximately 43 additional LNG carriers under construction or on order for delivery through 2012.

The following table provides additional information about our LNG vessels as of December 31, 2009.

Repsol YPF and Gas Natural SDG accounted for 19% and 11% of our revenues in 2007, 18% and 9% of our revenues in 2008, and 16% and 9% of our revenues in 2009, respectively. We also derived 24%, 22% and 21% of our revenues in 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively, from Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Ltd.; and in 2009 derived 10% of our revenues from the Tangguh Production Sharing Contractors; and in 2008 and 2009 derived 9% and 12% respectively, from Teekay Corporation. No other LNG customer accounted for 10% or more of our revenues during any of these periods. The loss of any significant customer or a substantial decline in the amount of services requested by a significant customer could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Each LNG carrier that is owned by us (or that we have agreed to purchase from Teekay Corporation), is encumbered by a mortgage relating to the vessel’s financing. Each of the Madrid Spirit, Al Marrouna, Al Areesh and Al Daayen is considered to be a capital lease. Please read Item 18 – Financial Statements: Note 5 – Leases and Restricted Cash.

LPG Carriers

LPG shipping involves the transportation of three main categories of cargo: liquid petroleum gases including propane, butane and ethane; petrochemical gases including ethylene, propylene and butadiene; and ammonia.

As of December 31, 2009, the worldwide LPG tanker fleet consisted of approximately 1,149 vessels with an average age of approximately 16 years and approximately 136 additional LPG vessels were on order for delivery through 2011. LPG carriers range in size from approximately 500 to approximately 70,000 cubic meters. Approximately 55% of the worldwide fleet is less than 5,000 cubic meters (in terms of vessel numbers). New LPG carriers are generally expected to have a lifespan of approximately 30 to 35 years.

LPG carriers are mainly chartered to carry LPG on time-charters, on contracts of affreightment or spot voyage charters. The two largest consumers of LPG are residential users and the petrochemical industry. Residential users, particularly in developing regions where electricity and gas pipelines are not developed, do not have fuel switching alternatives and generally are not LPG price sensitive. The petrochemical industry, however, has the ability to switch between LPG and other feedstock fuels depending on price and availability of alternatives.

The following table provides additional information about our LPG carriers as of December 31, 2009:

Suezmax Tanker Segment

Oil has been the world’s primary energy source for decades. Seaborne crude oil transportation is a mature industry. The two main types of oil tanker operators are major oil companies (including state-owned companies) that generally operate captive fleets, and independent operators that charter out their vessels for voyage or time-charter use. Most conventional oil tankers controlled by independent fleet operators are hired for one or a few voyages at a time at fluctuating market rates based on the existing tanker supply and demand. These charter rates are extremely sensitive to this balance of supply and demand, and small changes in tanker utilization have historically led to relatively large short-term rate changes. Long-term, fixed-rate charters for crude oil transportation, such as those applicable to our Suezmax tanker fleet, are less typical in the industry. As used in this discussion, “conventional” oil tankers exclude those vessels that can carry dry bulk and ore, tankers that currently are used for storage purposes and shuttle tankers that are designed to transport oil from offshore production platforms to onshore storage and refinery facilities.

Oil tanker demand is primarily a function of several factors, primarily the locations of oil production, refining and consumption and world oil demand and supply, while oil tanker supply is primarily a function of new vessel deliveries, vessel scrapping and the conversion or loss of tonnage.

The majority of crude oil tankers range in size from approximately 80,000 to approximately 320,000 dwt. Suezmax tankers, which typically range from 120,000 to 200,000 dwt, are the mid-size of the various primary oil tanker types. As of December 31, 2009, the world tanker fleet included 358 conventional Suezmax tankers, representing approximately 13% of worldwide oil tanker capacity, excluding tankers under 10,000 dwt.

As of December 31, 2009 our Suezmax tankers had an average age of approximately seven years, compared to the average age of nine years for the world Suezmax conventional tanker fleet. New Suezmax tankers generally are expected to have a lifespan of approximately 25 to 30 years, based on estimated hull fatigue life. However, United States and international regulations require the phase-out of double-hulled vessels by 25 years. All of our Suezmax tankers are double-hulled.

The following table provides additional information about our Suezmax oil tankers as of December 31, 2009.

CEPSA accounted for 22%, 21% and 14% of our 2007, 2008 and 2009 revenues, respectively. We also derived 11%, 9% and 9% of our revenues in 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively, from ConocoPhillips. The loss of any significant customer or a substantial decline in the amount of services requested by a significant customer could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

On March 17, 2010, we acquired from Teekay Corporation two 2009-built 159,000 dwt Suezmax tankers, the Hamilton Spirit and Bermuda Spirit (or the Centrofin Suezmaxes ) and a 2007-built 40,083 dwt Handymax product tanker, the Alexander Spirit , and the associated 12-year, 12-year and 10-year fixed-rate contracts, respectively. The remaining charter term for these vessels are 11 years, 11 years, and 10 years, respectively. We acquired the vessels from Teekay Corporation for a total purchase price of $160 million.

Business Strategies

Our primary business objective is to increase distributable cash flow per unit by executing the following strategies:

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Acquire new LNG and LPG carriers built to project specifications after long-term, fixed-rate time-charters have been awarded for the LNG and LPG projects . Our LNG and LPG carriers are built or will be built to customer specifications included in the related long-term, fixed-rate time-charters for the vessels. We intend to continue our practice of acquiring LNG and LPG carriers as needed for approved projects only after the long-term, fixed-rate time-charters for the projects have been awarded, rather than ordering vessels on a speculative basis. We believe this approach is preferable to speculative newbuilding because it:

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eliminates the risk of incremental or duplicative expenditures to alter our LNG and LPG carriers to meet customer specifications;

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facilitates the financing of new LNG and LPG carriers based on their anticipated future revenues; and

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ensures that new vessels will be employed upon acquisition, which should generate more stable cash flow.

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Expand our LNG and LPG operations globally . We seek to capitalize on opportunities emerging from the global expansion of the LNG and LPG sector by selectively targeting:

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long-term, fixed-rate time-charters wherever there is significant growth in LNG and LPG trade;

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joint ventures and partnerships with companies that may provide increased access to opportunities in attractive LNG and LPG importing and exporting geographic regions; and