Helderberg motorists’ fears of a looming fuel shortage have been relayed by Astron Energy.
This after messages on social media sent locals in a spin at the weekend, claiming a possible fuel shortage was imminent.
However, Astron Energy refuted claims of a shortage, stating its Cape Town refinery had been affected by an “operational upset” at the weekend, which impacted its supply of unleaded petrol and diesel products.
“We are pleased to confirm that the situation has been resolved and the refinery is fully operational,” Astron Energy said on enquiry. “We are able to meet demands going forward. We regret any inconvenience caused.”
When claims of a possible fuel shortage surfaced motorists apparently rushed to local service stations to fill up their tanks. It is believed that this action may have exacerbated the situation, drying up the pumps at some of the stations in the Helderberg.
DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette is aware of two stations – one in Strand and the other in Gordon’s Bay – that was without unleaded fuel over the weekend.
A manager of the BP Aqua Mall Service Station in Strand confirmed the facility was without fuel from 16:45 on Friday (18 October) until the pumps were filled at 23:10 the next day.
Furthermore, the BP in Beach Road, Gordon’s Bay, was apparently also without fuel on Sunday (20 October).
However, site manager Simon Dudu refuted these claims, saying the station did not experience any fuel shortage, instead pointing a finger at apparent maintenance issues experienced at the Cape Town refinery.
Several other service stations in the Helderberg confirmed the facilities remained unaffected by the incident at the Astron refinery.
Johan Fouché, CEO of MBT Petroleum, said his company had been informed of a shutdown at the refinery as a result of maintenance issues. Consequently, MBT made arrangements with another refinery.
This meant the MBT service station on the corner of Gordon’s Bay Drive and Van Ryneveld Street in Strand was able to continue providing motorists with fuel during the period.
Fouché pointed out that operational hindrances at refineries are common occurrences, which does indicate a fuel shortage.
“It is not a national crisis when a few stations are without fuel,” said Fouché, further warning people to be careful when reacting to messages shared on social media, because it could lead to chaos.
Meanwhile, motorists face a possible hike in fuel prices for the first time in five months.
According to the Automobile Association (AA) unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) shows fuel prices will increase as a result of higher international product prices and a steady softening of the Rand against the US dollar.
According to the CEF’s figures, ULP95 is expected to be slightly higher by around 14c a litre, while ULP93 is set for an increase of around 3c per litre. Diesel is expected to increase by between 14c and 13c per litre, while illuminating paraffin will increase by around 7c a litre.
Officially-adjusted fuel prices will come into effect on Wednesday 6 November. The official announcement of the November fuel-price adjustment by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is expected by Monday 4 November.
