Updated: Easygas, Liquigas in fresh war of words

Easygas this afternoon denied blame for a shortage of gas cylinders suffered by Liquigas.

It said that the 6,000 cylinders which Liquigas claimed were in possession of Easygas represented only a minute and insignificant percentage of the cylinder stock which regularly changed hands within the Maltese market.

In a statement it referred to a statement by Liquigas which accused Easygas fof  "hoarding" empty gas cylinders.

Easygas noted that Liquigas had claimed in the past that it had put 56,000 new cylinders on the market since 2009 -  in addition to the hundreds of thousands of cylinders which were already in the possession of Maltese households at that point in time.

"This goes to show that the 6,000 cylinders which Liquigas claims to be in the possession of Easygas, represent only a minute and insignificant percentage of the cylinder stock which regularly changes hands within the Maltese market, not quite unlike those empty cylinders which grace, or disgrace, many private gardens and fields by acting as pot or shelf holders or those cylinders which end up being used as mooring buoys."

Easygas said that other obvious reasons could be attributed to the depletion of an operator's stock of cylinders.

These included the constant need to substitute or refurbish cylinders which no longer satisfied national and European safety standards and the free choice of consumers not to return an empty cylinder if they considered that the price they would get it was not worth the hassle.

"Liquigas is trying to give the impression that Easygas wants to keep the cylinders for itself, hoarding them away in an effort to kill competition by starving Liquigas of a constant supply of returns for refilling.

"However, Liquigas fails to mention that Easygas has made it clear that it will transfer all the "hoarded" cylinders to Liquigas, at the same price at which it (Easygas) has acquired them from the general public - €25 per cylinder, a fair price endorsed by the MRA on its official website."

Easygas said the reality was that Liquigas was not ready to pay the price for the cylinders which it needed to operate, neither to the customers nor to Easygas.

It noted that's Liquigas had unsuccessfully attempted, by means of an application for a warrant of prohibitory injunction, to stop Easygas from collecting what it claimed to be its cylinders.

The court refused this application.

Liquigas was now seeking to obtain the redress which it sought from the court by whining to the authorities to intervene and order the Easygas to supply it with its tools of trade for free.

LIQUIGAS REACTION

  In a reaction, Liquigas said it never authorised Easygas to collect any Liquigas cylinders or pay any deposits on behalf of Liquigas. Easygas, it said, was doing so abusively, of its own accord, and against the normal practice across all Europe.

 "Irrationally, Easygas is asking Liquigas to buy once again the same cylinders that Liquigas had originally bought from Enemalta," the company said. It insisted that the brown, yellow and green cylinders were its property.

 Liquigas said 6,000 cylinders was not an insignificant number as it represented more than the working stock required on a daily basis at Qajjenza gas filling facility.

 " Easygas is not denying the fact that it has hoarded at least 6,000 Liquigas cylinders. This is yet another proof for the authorities to take action against Easygas as the situation at the Gas filling station is becoming critical," Liquigas said.

 It insisted that before Easygas started this hoarding routine, distributors had enough cylinders to operate with.