The bad weather of October 6 caused one of the ships berthed at the Freeport to cut its moorings and drift away from the jetty. This confirms what many experts have been saying: the gas storage tanker permanently moored within Marsaxlokk Bay poses a real danger.

Storms can be strong enough to affect ships inside the bay. Earlier this year, the PN, together with a number of experts, argued that it would be safer to store gas outside the bay.

The impact of stormy weather on ships, even large ones, cannot be discounted. In view of this, the PN is seeking more information from Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi. Among the questions we would like to ask are these:

How many tugboats are planned to be on standby close to the gas tanker when there is a storm of that magnitude? Will the Marsaxlokk port be closed? Will the power station be shut down so that, should there be a gas leak, the plant will not constitute an ignition source?

What does the risk assessment procedure propose? How can we be assured that the pipelines carrying frozen LNG from ship to shore will be flexible and sturdy enough to cater for the moving and heaving tanker in a storm? If some ship berthed close to the gas tanker broke its moorings and started drifting towards it, would the residents of the bay have to be evacuated?

Can the minister give us an estimate of the possible economic impact in the eventuality of a storm like the recent one, according to the various scenarios that have been evaluated? In the case of a stronger and longer storm, what precautions will have to be taken throughout the south of Malta?

When is the Minister going to finally publish the risk assessment report which was supposed to have been ready by now?