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James Debono
A number of Maltese petrol stations have inadequate storage vessels, while others require an upgrade of their fire response equipment.
This emerges from an audit carried out by the Malta Resources Authority on 84 licensed petrol stations and kerbside pumps.
The audit was carried out by the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration (UK) on behalf of the Malta Resources Authority, and used internationally recognised guidelines for the ‘Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations’ as benchmarks for inspection.
According to MRA chief executive Antoine Riolo, both the owners and their representative union, the GRTU, gave their full co-operation in this exercise.
A report on the condition of each petrol station and kerbside pump was drawn up, and the results have been forwarded to its licensee.
According to Riolo, the condition of the stations varied from one to the other, and the required upgrading ranges from infrastructural and operational changes, to issues of public safety and environmental protection.
“Recommendations for improvement obviously varied from station to station. Some were major, such as the replacement of inadequate storage vessels. Other recommendations, though no less important, can be implemented more easily, such as upgrading of fire response equipment.”
Individual owners have already agreed to timeframes for the implementation of modifications; the timeframes themselves depend on the magnitude of the modifications required.
It was agreed to set longer timeframes in cases where a larger capital outlay, as well as permits and approval from other authorities, were involved.
The intention of the Malta Resources Authority is to guide owners and operators of all existing petroleum filling stations to upgrade their equipment and operations to conform to internationally accepted levels of quality.
A training course on operational methods and safety was also offered to petrol station owners.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt |
