Government is bringing in Bermuda?s first water tanker for 15 years to combat the drought crisis.

Bacardi International was also urged to re-route one of its tankers ? but the shipment was cancelled.

Motor tanker will be making her maiden voyage to Bermuda when she arrives at Dockyard on Saturday to offload 1.5 million gallons of water.

She will remain on the Island for four to five days to empty her tanks at Dockyard, but is expected to return on August 1 with another shipment.

The 124-metre ship is loading up with water in Philadelphia.

She is owned by international chemical-shipping company, Copenhagen Tankers and is registered in Singapore. is normally used to transport chemicals but Captain John Moore of Meyer Shipping said her tanks should be able to transport clean drinking water.

?Their tankers have stainless steel tanks which are used to carry a variety of cargoes and can convert them from one to the other,? Capt. Moore said yesterday.

?A Butterworth machine is placed in the tank and steam or superheated water is pushed through the water.?

Capt. Moore said the 1.5 million gallons of water would be stored at several tanks on land owned by Government quango, the West End Development Company.

?It will be going into tanks and from there going into water trucks,? he said.

However, by last night Government had not yet revealed the expected cost of water shipments, nor what prompted the radical action. as discussions with the overseas provider was still ongoing.

?Works & Engineering can confirm they have been in consultation with overseas providers for the supply of potable water,? a Ministry spokeswoman said yesterday.

?Ministry Officials have advised discussions are ongoing and further details will be provided as and when all matters with respect to the supply and distribution of water on the Island are worked out.?

She added that water truckers who rely on Government water would also be notified in due course.

Joe Simas, of Meyer Shipping, said Bacardi International was planning on bringing in the which was scheduled to discharge water in Dockyard for two days on July 26.

Head of Corporate Communications for Bacardi, Patricia Neal, said yesterday Government had requested Bacardi to bring the shipment here.

?Someone in Bermuda requested we look into it. There was an informal request from someone in Government,? Ms Neal said.

?We did this 15 years ago and were looking at helping out again, but there were logistical and regulatory issues which meant it could not come.?

She said re-routing a tanker was not an easy job, as their schedules as planned out one year in advance.

Bacardi?s shipment was never formally set, she said, but as Bacardi always liked to help the people of Bermuda it would hopefully be able to help out in the future.

More than 15 years ago, on June 11, 1990, Bacardi re-routed the to Bermuda on a voyage from Canada to Rotterdam.

The was diverted with more than 700,000 gallons of water and then Premier, Sir John Swan, thanked Bacardi for being a ?superb corporate citizen?.

In 1990, Bermuda consumed 1.7 million gallons of water per day, but in 2005, Bermuda produces closer to 3 million gallons per day.

Bermuda has a history of shipping water in times of crisis.

Capt. Moore said the US Navy brought in a water barge in the 1980?s to fill up the tanks in their bases.

And during water shortages in the 1960?s, Dutch Sea Captain Antonius Seesink brought regular shipments of fresh water from Baltimore on his freighter, the