Panic in gas stations

SUPPLIES of gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel were reportedly threatened yesterday by port workers at State-owned oil company Petrotrin, after they downed tools for the second time in four days.  The action caused a delay in deliveries yesterday of petroleum products to service stations throughout the country and no aviation fuel was sent to the airport. A gasoline barge contracted to haul fuel from Pointe-a-Pierre to National Petroleum’s Sea Lots storage tanks was forced to remain anchored offshore due to the industrial action. From as early as 6 am yesterday, 100 workers downed tools and demanded the company’s management address a number of health and safety issues at the waterfront. Newsday learnt that port workers are upset about carrying out their duties on rotting berths. Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union officials told Newsday many of the valves in transmission lines which transport raw crude were leaking.

OWTU’s Petrotrin branch secretary, Shaffick Hyatali, said the workers were extremely concerned about the sale of bunker fuel, (diesel, oil, gas) in the Gulf of Paria. He accused a Petrotrin contractor of being involved in the sale transaction. Hyatali said the sale of bunker fuel to ships and other ocean-going vessels in the Gulf was the exclusive right of the State-owned company. “Petrotrin has been selling this fuel for the past 65 years in the Gulf and now this contractor, in conjunction with a company in Point Lisas, has been importing fuel from Suriname and selling to ships in the Gulf,” he said. Newsday was informed that plant fitters, electricians and machinists, had also downed tools, but this was unrelated to the port situation. Hyatali said the employees were protesting the company’s failure to implement a number of agreements with the union, including merit payments, and the filling of vacancies.

Trinidad and Tobago Petroleum Dealers Association (PDA) immediately responded to the protest and the threat of a possible gas shortage. In a statement yesterday, the PDA said, “The problem has been exacerbated by the inability of National Petroleum to supply the country’s gas stations because of the non-delivery of petroleum products by barge from Petrotrin.” The association stated it had communicated with the Ministry of Energy and NP on the shortage. Both Petrotrin’s corporate communications manager, Arnold Corneal, and public relations manager, Mark Lyndersay, were unavailable for comment yesterday. National Petroleum’s communications officer Keith Subero said yesterday that there should be no panic buying. The vessel, he said, which usually brings the fuel from Petrotrin to NP was not released yesterday morning. As a result, the service stations in North Trinidad were affected. Petrotrin last evening met with aggrieved workers in an effort to avert a crisis.