Opposition leader Simon Busuttil insisted this evening that the government should not take risks and should therefore not allow a situation where the gas storage facility for the new Delimara power station was left floating inside Marsaxlokk Bay.

He said that the Opposition was insisting that government placed the floating gas storage facility outside the bay - as preferred by the residents of the Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga areas who were worried about having the gas so close to shore.

"Whether it is small or large, the risk exists... There is a solution which is to have the storage ship berthed outside the port. It is unacceptable that government is saying this is not preferred as it will mean more time and money," he said as he stood near Pretty Bay flanked by Birzebbuga counsellor Stanley Zammit, an engineer.

Mr Zammit showed Dr Busuttil how the power station and gas storage facilities would impact the locality and outlined the concerns of residents.

He said that even though these gas storage vessels usually had many safety features, there were still risks cased by human error or malfunctions - especially when taking into account that the vessel was a floating one and the sea could not be controlled.

Mr Zammit said that, in case of a leakage of the colorless and odorless gas, it would probably be detected by seeing a cloud formation by which time it would be too late.

Dr Busuttil said he was carrying out house visits in Birzebbuga to understand better what people were thinking. He would be doing the same in Marsaxlokk.

Asked if a PN government would relocate the storage facility to outside the port in future, he said that the Opposition was focusing on ensuring the current government placed it there in the first place.