On the background of queues at petrol stations over the Eid-al-Adha (feast of sacrifice) holidays last week, Tripoli based Libyan Interior Minister, Major General Emad Trabelsi, pointed out that the Ministry of Interior is currently monitoring suspected 394 gas stations in the western region, while more than 500 non-compliant stations have been closed and will not be allowed to reopen.
Trabelsi was speaking to the press in Tripoli yesterday after hosting a meeting at his Ministry with the National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) Chairman Masoud Suleiman and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohamed Ben Ghalbun.
Trabelsi confirmed that the Fuel and Gas crisis Committee, formed by a Cabinet decision, is directly overseeing fuel distribution operations.
He stated that the committee is focusing its efforts on monitoring the movement and supply of fuel to petrol stations, noting that the measures taken have significantly reduced fuel smuggling through petrol stations.
Trabelsi emphasized that preserving the nation’s resources requires the cooperation of all state institutions.
He affirmed that no petrol station will be permitted to open unless it meets the approved specifications and requirements.
He explained that the fuel distribution monitoring system operates around the clock to track the movement of trucks and fuel shipments from their departure from the main depots until their arrival at the petrol stations.
The recent recurrence of fuel shortages during the Eid holidays has reactivated the oft-visited debate on reforming Libya’s flawed fuel subsidies – the fundamental cause of Libya’s industrial scale fuel smuggling problem.
