Minister Konrad Mizzi still insists that the LNG Gas tanker will arrive in Malta this September, but calculations indicate that it would take the tanker a minimum of 25 days to reach the island. This means that there is only a small window left for the tanker to leave Singapore if it is to meet the minister’s September deadline.

“All tests and works have been completed,” Dr Mizzi said yesterday, “and the tanker has been certified as safe and was developed according to design. Bumi Armada, the company managing it, together with Electrogas are following the sail away protocols. There are clear protocols which are stipulated for when a tanker needs to travel this distance. Coordination is being carried out between the three entities so that the tanker will arrive in September.”

As for work at the Delimara plant itself, Dr Mizzi explained yesterday, “Currently the works on the power station plant have been completed. The regasification unit and jetty are complete, and once the tanker arrives, the final interfaces between the three will occur. Once that is done, and the permit issued, it will start generating electricity.”

On 1 August, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat presided over the sail away ceremony of the Floating Storage Unit (FSU) Armada LNG Mediterrana in Singapore, and since then questions have arisen as to the situation.

 The Armada LNG Mediterrana was converted for use at the power station over a 17-month period.

The vessel is set to become a permanent fixture in Marsaxlokk Bay when it arrives here in the coming weeks. The conversion of the vessel was achieved in 17 months through the cooperation of the companies Bumi Armada, Electrogas Malta, and Keppel Shipyards in Singapore. The conversion job has been lauded by experts who explained that the FSU has the highest levels of security standards and will provide a temporary, and reliable, supply of gas. The Armada LNG Mediterrana is expected to arrive in Malta in September.

Calculations by this newsroom indicate that, while travelling at ten knots which is its average speed, the tanker could take up to 25 days to arrive in Malta if it sails through Egypt’s Suez Canal. Experts in the industry speaking with this newspaper, however, say that it would probably take a month, or more, to arrive – without taking weather conditions into consideration.

If the tanker sails around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the trip could take up to 50 days.