Tripoli-based Libyan Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba issued a circular on Thursday (23 February) directing the state National Oil Corporation subsidiary, Brega Marketing Company, to continue supplying Al-Sharara petrol stations directly – bypassing their company’s head office.
This is to ensure the availability of petrol in all regions and cities of Libya and follows the build-up of petrol queues over the last 10 days.
According to the Sharara (Petrol Stations) Company, Brega had stopped supplying it with fuel since 15 February. This follows two conflicting court orders that have split the administration of Al-Sharara resulting in two competing boards of directors. On 21 February, Sharara was still reporting that 380 of its petrol stations were not receiving fuel from Brega.
In this regard, the Director of the Information Office at Brega, Ahmed Al-Msalati, confirmed Thursday to Libya Herald that Sharara petrol stations will be supplied directly. This is due to the company’s administrative problems that have negatively affected fuel distribution plans in Tripoli and several other cities. This has led to congestion in some stations and the closure of others.
Only petrol stations will be supplied Al-Msalati added that the Brega will limit the number of these stations and will supply them directly with fuel without regard to the distribution companies that have caused petrol queues at petrol stations during the past days. However, he confirmed that Brega will continue not to supply the split Sharara distribution company as long as it has internal problems that negatively affect citizen’s access to their petrol or diesel needs.
Brega will implement government directive He stressed that Brega is committed to the government's issued directives and publications that conform to the explicit law so as not to cause harm to the life of the citizen, who mainly relies for his transportation on means of transport, all of which operate on either gasoline or diesel.
Brega can supply petrol without petrol stations Al-Msalaty highlighted the fact that, if forced to, Brega can supply citizens with fuel directly through its transporter tankers equipped with pumps and filling nozzles to fill cars. This method was used on several occasions and during several fuel supply crises since 2011.
However, he ruled out resorting to this procedure in the short term due to the readiness of petrol stations to receive their orders directly from the Brega without the need to wait for their head office to resolve its administration problem.
It will be recalled that Libya Herald interviewed Mr Msalaty on 19 February regarding petrol queues, however, he avoided blaming petrol queues on the Sharara administrative problem – preferring to blame them on other factors.
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Brega warns against panic buying, says there is no fuel shortage – LibyaHerald
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