KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Fuel supplier SOL said yesterday that it was expecting a ship to arrive today, as its stockpiles in St. Vincent, affected by industrial action at Petrotrin in Trinidad, had run out of diesel and had a “limited” supply of gasoline.
“SOL wishes to notify its customers of a shortage in gasoline and diesel supply, due to labour disputes at Petrotrin in Trinidad, the primary supplier of petroleum products to oil companies in the region. In addition to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, other countries across the region have also been impacted,” the company said in a release.
The company was working with its supplier “to ensure a ready supply of products is made available to you as soon as possible,” the release further stated.
“SOL’s reputation and ability to serve our customers is very important to us. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and assure you that we will seek to rectify this situation as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Steve Francis, the company’s general manager for St. Vincent and Grenada, told I-Witness News ahead of the release that his company was “out of diesel and gasoline supply is currently limited” here.
An employee of Rubis, another supplier of fuel here, said that her company had not run out of fuel “as far as the bulk terminals are concerned”, adding that the company had “a very, very regular supplier” of gasoline and diesel.
“It is just that we have an increase in sales and, like any other place that has an increase in sales, you run out and we have already taken fuel to our gas stations,” said the employee who did not want to be identified by name.
“… There is no shortage of gasoline or diesel in St. Vincent, as far as the bulk terminal is concerned,” she said.
Some motorists in and around Kingstown had to queue up to fill up their tanks even as some service stations in rural parts of the country were without fuel.
Reports say that fuel has not been available in North Leeward for about three weeks.