Scores of consumers are being turned away at private pump stations across the country, owing to an apparent diesel

A lone driver at a Rubis gas station

shortage at Sol and Rubis distributors.
Guyana Times understands that several miners and other consumers who would normally purchase diesel in bulk are being turned away because there is simply not enough fuel to meet their demands.
The mining sector, especially, is expected to suffer a major setback since businessmen can no longer purchase the high level octane fuel that is being offered at the private fuel stations.
Sources close to a Rubis Gas Station confirmed that the company is running low on its supply and it may very well be completely out of diesel by Monday.
“Rubis is low and is about to run out soon… some stations are already out,” the source stated, noting that the company already halted all bulk purchasing of diesel.
“We are only selling drive-ins at the pumps,” the source explained.
According to the source, the same problem is occurring at the Shell Gas Stations across the country.

Suppliers not supplying
Sol and Rubis purchase fuel supplies from the Trinidadian-owned oil company Petrotrin. However, due to several internal complications within the oil-producing company, the shipments of fuel to Guyana are being delayed.
“The suppliers are not supplying because of their own problems,” the source explained.
The Trinidadian media has reported that the state-owned company is financially strapped and it continues to suffers massive blows with the falling prices for oil, high cost of production and only recently, the energy company was downgraded by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) from BB+ (Stable) to BB (Weak).
Like oil companies everywhere in this time of depressed prices, Petrotrin is earning much less than before. But unlike many of them, the company is constrained against cutting its costs, most of which are for labour and for debt repayments.
According to the source, those problems at Petrotrin are not only affecting Guyana but the other Caribbean countries that rely on the Trinidadian-based company for diesel.
Meanwhile, the source noted that the shipment of fuel is expected to arrive in Guyana by December 11. Therefore, by December 12, all private pump stations should be stocked with diesel for bulk purchasing once again.