Waqt li tħabbar li t-tanker tal-gass li se jkun sorġut fil-Port ta’ Marsaxlokk ftit il-bogħod mill-kommunitajiet residenzjali ta’ Marsaxlokk u Birżebbuġa se jitlaq mit-tarzna f’Sinqapore, Alternattiva Demokratika tinnota li l-istudji meħtieġa għall-operazzjoni tiegħu għadhom m’humiex ippubblikati.

 
Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo, Deputat Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika, li żied jgħid li dawn l-istudji huma meħtieġa mid-Direttivi magħrufa bħala Seveso Directives tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Dawn huma intenzjonati biex iħarsu r-residenti  minn diżastri industrijali u ambjentali.

“Għadna nistennew il-pubblikazzjoni ta’ dawn l-istudji kif ukoll ir-rapporti dwar il-ħarsien tan-navigazzjoni fil-port ta’ Marsaxlokk. In partikolari qed nistennew l-istudji dwar kif il-ħidma kummerċjali diġa eżistenti (l-Freeport), kif ukoll il-ħidma tas-sajjieda se jkunu effettwati bit-tanker fiss tal-gass fil-port. Ma dan hemm ukoll l-impatt tal-provista ta’ gass li trid titwassal madwar tmien darbiet fis-sena u li bla dubju se taffettwa wkoll l-operat kollu tal-Port ta’ Marsaxlokk.”

“Kien ikun ferm aħjar kieku l-Gvern flok ma ħa sehem fit-teatrin f’Sinqapore spjega kif se jilqa’ għal dan kollu”, temm jgħid Carmel Cacopardo.

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After the announcement that the gas storage tanker which will be berthed in Marsaxlokk Bay, very close to the residential communities of Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa, is leaving the docks in Singapore, Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party notes that the necessary studies for its operation have not been published yet.

This was stated by Carmel Cacopardo, Alternattiva Demokratika’s Deputy Chairperson. Carmel Cacopardo added that these studies are a requirement of the EU’s Seveso Directives, which are aimed at protecting residents from industrial and environmental disasters.

“We are still awaiting the publication of these studies as well as the reports on maritime safety in Marsaxlokk Bay. In particular we are awaiting the studies carried out on the impacts which the stationary gas tanker will have on the current commercial activity (the Freeport) at the port, as well as on the fishing community. To this one must add the impacts which  the gas supplies to the tanker, around eight times per year, will have on the operation of the Port of Marsaxlokk.”

“It would have been much better”, concluded Carmel Cacopardo, “if instead of engaging itself in theatrics in Singapore, Government explained how it intends to address these immensely important issues”.