• 16 Jan 2017

Malta has joined the LNG-importers club, taking delivery of its first shipment today with the arrival in Marsaxlokk Bay of Shell’s 2002-built, 138,000m³ vessel Galea to transfer a commissioning cargo to the floating storage unit (FSU) Armada LNG Mediterrana, which will store LNG for Malta’s gas-fired power plant at Delimara. Bumi Armada converted Mitsui OSK’s 1985-built, 125,000m³ LNG carrier Wakabu Maru into an FSU. The vessel will supply LNG to a 200 MW gas-fired power station at Delimara, to open by the end of the month.  Socar Trading, the trading arm of Azerbaijan’s State oil company, which holds a 20 per cent stake in the project pioneered by Electrogas Malta Consortium for developing the new power station and liquefied natural gas terminal, will supply the LNG on a lease for 18 years. Addressing local journalists, Maltese minister without portfolio Konrad Mizzi said: “Three or four years ago, we set a vision to reduce energy tariffs. I am pleased to say that in a few years we will have managed to eliminate heavy fuel oil completely.Heavy fuel oil will soon become history.”