Malta Drydocks To Get Safety Audit

Officials of the British Safety Council are due to carry out a safety audit of Malta Drydocks in March, Reuters reported. The council had carried out an audit of the yard last year and awarded it a three star rating out of five. A Malta Drydocks management official told the press it was hoped a better result would now be achieved. The loss-making Maltese yard is currently enjoying an upswing of work. The tanker Northia, owned by Brovig RDS of Aberdeen, is currently being converted into a floating production storage and offloading facility in the first project of its kind. Drydocks officials told the press that the $8 million contract was being carried out on time and the yard had been praised for its workmanship. The ship is being renamed Ikdam. The U.S. Sixth Fleet flagship La Salle arrives on March 29 for works also valued in excess of $8 million. It is the first contract of its kind to be won by Malta Drydocks from the U.S. Navy in over 30 years. - (Reuters)