Liquigas call on MRA to urge Easygas to return gas cylinders

Today 5pm was the deadline of the five-day period by which time Easygas had to return all the Liquigas cylinders it collected in exchange for the sale of its cylinders to former Liquigas customers.

“Five o’clock has passed and Easygas did not return the cylinders. Liquigas is expecting the Authorities to act and: ensure that Easygas returns all the Liquigas gas cylinders to their rightful owner, and stop the hoarding of Liquigas cylinders by Easygas,” Liquigas said in a statement.

“If the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) is unable to assume its responsibilities and function as a dependable regulator, then in the current circumstances, it is useless and futile for Liquigas to continue to do extra efforts to put more and more cylinders in such a distorted and unregulated market. Liquigas’s property simply cannot continue disappearing into Easygas’s black hole,” the company said.

Liquigas claimed its Qajjenza depot was totally depleted when Easygas hoarded up to 6,000 of its cylinders.

Easygas responded by saying that Liquigas was not coping with market demand. “Liquigas claims it has put 56,000 new cylinders on the market since 2009 in addition to the hundreds of thousands of cylinders already in the possession of Maltese households… This goes to show that the 6,000 cylinders represent only a minute and insignificant percentage of the cylinder stock which regularly changes hands within the Maltese market.”

GRTU said the MRA had issued a decision asking both gas suppliers to declare the amount of gas cylinders belonging to their competitors they are holding. Easygas was selling its new cylinders and collecting Liquigas cylinders from consumers.

This means that Easygas has to return the Liquigas cylinders it collected by tomorrow Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Liquigas said neither the MRA nor Easygas had returned any Liquigas cylinders. "These cylinders are Liquigas’s property and have been abusively hoarded by Easygas during the last four months. Liquigas wants to make the authorities aware that this is only a temporary solution. Unless the authorities stop Easygas from continuing with its abusive hoarding, the problem will never be resolved."

Liquigas received a shipment from abroad comprising of 15kg gas cylinders and 25kg gas cylinders "as an extra effort to alleviate the current situation".

“Liquigas can import more and more cylinders, but as long as Easygas keeps taking Liquigas cylinders, nothing will be solved for the long term. Thanks to Easygas, every day that passes the situation is getting worse. The responsibilities for order and for the abolition of this abusive hoarding practice are squarely on the shoulders of the Authorities,” the company said.