Author : editor
Sharjah's Executive Council is demanding an end to disruptions at the petrol stations which have left motorists unable to buy fuel over the past two weeks.
The General Secretariat of the council has asked the Enoc Group, which includes petrol retailers Eppco and Enoc, to provide a detailed explanation for the breakdown of supply at petrol stations across the emirate and is asking for a solution to the crisis within 48 hours.
Gulf News goes on the hunt for petrol in Sharjah
Khalid Hadi, head of corporate communications for Enoc/Eppco could not be reached for comment yesterday, but in a recent statement he said the closures of petrol stations across Sharjah and the northern emirates were the result of the company upgrading dispensing equipment. He said these disruptions could last two to three weeks before moving on to Dubai, where maintenance will last for a further month.
The disruptions have closed 82 stations in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah and left motorists stranded as public transport is often either infrequent or nonexistent.
Residents living in Sharjah and commute to Dubai spend an average of Dh100-Dh150 a week on commuting. Most Sharjah residents who work in Dubai say they must rely either on their own private transport or car lifts as public transport takes too long and is inconsistent.
"If I go by Metro it takes one hour from Rashidiya to reach JLT area and by bus it takes hours. Most of the time I need to take a combination of bus and Metro, but if I go to certain areas such as the Al Tawoon area there is no bus service. There should be a good reasonable solution for solving the problem," said Lin Pg, a Sharjah resident.
Lito Coranez, a resident, said that he had no choice but to wait in line for 40 minutes at the Adnoc petrol stations. "I have been late to work twice this week but I had no other choice. I live and work in Sharjah, so I do not have any other alternative than to be one hour late for work in the morning. There is no other solution, and it is very annoying because then I am running late for the rest of the day," he said.
Taxi drivers too are finding that the queues at those stations which are open have a detrimental effect on their business.
Mustafa Khan, a driver with Citi Taxi, said that all taxi drivers were previously given an Adnoc fuel card by their companies, so they never had the need to visit Eppco, Enoc or Emarat stations. "My company has given me a debit card for refilling petrol at all Adnoc stations in the UAE. So I do not have to worry about looking for a petrol station because it has already been provided for me by my company. The only problem is the long queues at the petrol stations."
Refuelling: Cheaper options
Following the third price rise in a year, UAE residents are increasingly looking to Oman and neighbouring GCC countries for cheaper fuel.
Petrol prices in the UAE now range between Dh1.61 to Dh1.83 a litre while petrol prices in Oman remain much cheaper at Dh1.14 to Dh1.20 per litre. Petrol per litre costs 59 fils in Saudi Arabia, 75-90 fils in Kuwait and 80 fils in Qatar.
Following the last UAE price hike, many motorists resorted to crossing the border.
In a previous Gulf News survey a large number of Emiratis expressed dissatisfaction with these rising costs.
"I travelled with my friends to Saudi Arabia last week and filled the tank of a car with a six-cylinder engine for about Dh85, the same [amount] would have cost about Dh155 in the UAE," Khalid Al Hammadi, a Gulf News reader, said in an earlier interview.
Tender: Emarat seeks fuel
Emarat is tendering for an additional 100,000 tonnes of petrol to cover its needs from June to September, traders said yesterday.
The company already has term contracts in place with BP and Vitol to receive 80,000 tonnes per month. But a fuel shortage at some UAE petrol stations might have prompted Emarat to seek more fuel, traders said.
Source : gulfnews.com
