State Trading Organisation (STO) Maldives (Singapore) Pte Ltd commenced transhipment of gas in the Maldives in collaboration with Dutch company Shell, the world’s largest trader of oil and gas.
An official of STO told Mihaaru on Tuesday that STO has assumed the role of an agent to tranship gas in the archipelago.
The major trade company of oil and gas in the Maldives, STO commenced transhipment of gas in the Maldives to Shell last February. The intermediate destination of oil tankers is the landfill and oil storage island of Thilafushi in capital Male atoll.
“When the tankers carrying gas from Singapore arrives in the Maldives, we ship the gas in smaller vessels to regional countries such as India, [Sri] Lanka and Pakistan,” explained the official.
The official added that STO had first catered to four ships per month at the beginning of transhipment, but that the numbers have now doubled.
“We’re looking to construct a floating storage to tranship gas in the Maldives, which will also create more jobs.”