Despite the arrival of the oil tanker Hafnia Nanjing last week, fear among fuel users is growing.
Queues have been seen at service stations in Antsirabe, Maevatanana, Ambondromamy and Mahajanga since the end of last week, and continued until yesterday. In Antsirabe, a long queue formed in front of gas stations from Sunday evening until yesterday. “We saw queues at almost all the service stations in Antsenakely and Tsivatrinikamo. Many cars lined up there, not to mention people queuing with their jerry cans and carts full of cans which also lined up,” says Samuel, a father living in Antsirabe, reached by telephone yesterday.
“It’s been three weeks since queues have formed in front of all service stations, especially on weekends in Antsirabe. Today (note: yesterday) the rue de Vatofotsy was completely blocked by the queue. We, carriers of the Tana-Antsirabe line, have no supply problem since we fill up from Antananarivo. It is holidaymakers and bush taxis on national road number 7 from the South who are in difficulty in supplying Antsirabe. In addition, the fear of rising prices at the pump is pushing people to stock up on fuel,” explained Aina Nirina, taxi-brousse driver for the Tana-Antsirabe regional line.
Refueling
The same topo can be seen in Maevatanana. “Today (note: yesterday), a long queue formed between noon and 2 p.m. at the Total station, because it is the only one that still has stock. The problem here is the large number of vacationers and the problem causing the queue is that there are too many vacationers and Lutheran Church pilgrims who think they could refuel at Maevatanana. Nevertheless, this queue has ended now,” said a source at the Maevatanana gendarmerie, reached by telephone, yesterday. “The line started in the morning (note: yesterday) in Mahajanga. All cars rushed to gas stations to refuel, because of information that there is no more fuel in Ambondromamy and Maevatanana. Vacationers’ cars have suffered the most from this lack of fuel. On Saturday, at least four holiday cars were stranded in Maevatanana following this problem. Users fear that the price at the pump will increase next September, and they are rushing to stock up. Unfortunately, the service stations refuse to fill their cans”, explains a taxi-brousse driver of a national line linking Antananarivo to Mahajanga.
On the other hand, an official of the Malagasy Office of Hydrocarbons (OMH) assured that “since the arrival, Wednesday, of the oil tanker in Toamasina, the refueling from the large port to all the service stations of the country continues. . Thus, the supply problems will be resolved shortly. All regions of the Big Island will be served. You only need a little patience, because, the supply being done using tank trucks, there is a relative slowness of deliveries. Users are asked not to change their consumption habits, and to stock up normally.
Our source at the OMH has not yet indicated an upcoming price increase at the pump.
The Hafnia Nanjing vessel carried 59,903 cubic meters of diesel, 16,584 m3 of premium fuel (SP) and 4,093 m3 of kerosene. Another tanker is expected to arrive in Toamasina towards the end of August, according to the Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons.