Large unused liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity could be brought to play should the row between Russia and Ukraine disrupt flows of pipeline gas to the West this winter, European LNG terminal operators' group GLE said. The crisis in Ukraine, an important pipeline route for Russian gas to the European Union, has triggered worries of a supply disruption in the forthcoming winter months. LNG operators, which import the gas from overseas via tankers, say they could step in if there are disruptions. "If there were to be any supply disruptions of Russian gas in the winter — but this is still speculation — then LNG can certainly contribute to solving the problems," GLE President Wim Groenendijk said on Tuesday. Europe potentially has enough LNG import capacity to meet over a third of its annual demand, with just 16 percent of the current regasification capacity of 207 billion cubic meters (bcm) utilized in the first eight months of this year, he said.