The House of Representatives’ (HoR) Fuel and Petroleum Crisis Committee issued a report yesterday on the recent fuel shortage.
In its report it stated that
– It had conducted a thorough review of the shipment schedule for 2025 and the beginning of 2026 and discovered that the fuel crisis was not primarily due to operational issues, but rather to a reduction in the number of shipments.
– The number of tankers delivering fuel by sea was reduced to between 12 and 13 shipments, resulting in a significant gap between actual consumption rates and the volume of supplies reaching the local market.
– This led to a decline in the stock level allocated to cover the local market and a shift to a supply model that relies directly on scheduled tankers without any safe operational margin.
– Building a safe operational reserve requires adding at least two more tankers during February and March to restore a stock level that provides sufficient flexibility for the distribution system.
– Describing the situation as ‘‘an artificial crisis’’ is not based on an accurate technical analysis of the data. Furthermore, the stability of the fuel system requires responsible planning based on a realistic assessment of consumption rates and the establishment of a reserve stock that ensures sustainability and stability.
