Gas tanker safety report hints at restrictions of ship movements during refuelling

A safety report on the Integrated Prevention and Pollution Control (IPPC) application for the new gas-fired power station suggests that ship movements may need to be restricted whilst an LNG carrier is entering or leaving Marsaxlokk bay to supply the Armada Mediterrana floating storage unit (FSU) with fuel. 

This is one of the additional safety measures proposed in a safety report by Marin, the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) which conducted the studies. Marin was founded in 1929 as the Netherlands Ship Model Basin (NSMB) by the Dutch government and industry.

The report estimates that the FSU will be re-filled every six to eight weeks, over two 24-hour periods. In a year, the tanker will make an estimated 13 to 18 ship-to-ship LNG transfers.

According to Marin, the restrictions would ensure that other ships remain at a safe distance to avoid collisions. The setting up of a port control centre to better manage traffic and a speed limit were also proposed.

Sea traffic at Marsaxlokk bay includes some 2,091 vessels heading to the Freeport and 460 ships Medserv-bound. According to the report, “smaller fishing vessels” would not cause any significant damage if involved in a collision.

The report concludes that the risk of collision between the incoming gas carrier and other ships is minimal and expected to happen only once in 72,000 years.

If a restricted area is introduced, the risk drops to an accident once in 719,000 years.

The Marin study confirmed that during severe storms, the LNG tanker will be shifted to a location 70 meters west of the jetty. The FSU will be moored by eight spread lines grouped in to four bundles of two lines each.

The report concludes that the mooring alternatives considered “confirm that it is challenging to construct a successful spread-mooring on shallow water.”

According to the report, a mooring system that possesses the right stiffness requires a footprint that is not feasible in Marsaxlokk bay. In the case of storms, the FSU will stop providing energy to the national grid as it is temporary shifted to a new location for safety reasons.

Most of the data related to the storm mooring alternatives that have been investigated is highly technical.

The report also refers to SOCAR Trading, the Azeri state-owned oil trading company. SOCAR forms part of the Electrogas Consortium as the LNG provider for the plant.

A description of the project provided by Electrogas Ltd confirms that the FSU will be moored at the jetty for 18 years.