Pakistan - Country left with petrol stock enough for only three days

• By Ahmad Ahmadani

People of Punjab, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and federal capital may face another round of petrol crisis during next week

Hit hard during the last few days due petrol scarcity, the masses may face another petrol crisis during the next week as the country is left with limited stock of petrol that can meet the demands of only three days, officials said.

A copy of report on available petrol stock in the country with Daily Times discloses that available petrol stock can meet the demands of only three days. And, as result to this people from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal capital may face another petrol shortage during the next week. The report said that only 51,000metric tones of petrol stock is available in the stocks all over the country as Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have a reserve of 42,000 MT, while only 7,000 MT of petrol stock is left with country’s oil refineries.

Also, OMCs, on the advice of petroleum ministry, are supplying 15,000 tonnes of petrol on daily basis to the petrol pumps across the country, while usual supply of petrol remained 12,000MT per day before the shortage. “At the moment Askar (oil marketing company) has zero litre stock of petrol,” the report said. An official at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources on the condition of anonymity said that Askar could not build petrol storage despite the fact that the company was granted Oil Marketing Company License on July 4, 2005.

It is important to note here that Pakistan State Oil (PSO) on the morning of January 22 (Thursday) had petrol stock of only 22546 ton, Shell with 10100ton, Caltex with 6815ton, Hascol with 9400 ton, APL (Attock Petroleum Limited) with 5660 ton, Total Parco with 3449 ton, while Byco with a stock of 158ton and Overseas Oil Trading Company (Pvt.) Ltd (OOTCL) was left with 82 tons of petrol reserves. Furthermore, Attock Refinery is left with a stock of 1954 ton, National Refinery with 1156 ton, Pakistan Refinery with 1273 ton, PARCO with 2498 ton and Byco refinery had only 503 ton of petrol reserves.

Officials at the petroleum ministry said that vessels carrying 70,000 ton of two cargos of PSO and Hascol will reach Karachi port on January 26. Petrol of these two cargos will reach crisis-hit areas, especially Punjab, on January 31 to meet the petrol needs, they added. The Prime Minister in a meeting held here to review petroleum matters on Thursday said that all concerned ministries should ensure seamless coordination to ensure steady supply of petrol to all parts of the country.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/islamabad/23-Jan-2015/country-left-with-petrol-stock-enough-for-only-three-days