Fuel supplies have yet to normalize for the fourth consecutive day at service stations in the city of Oaxaca and its surrounding municipalities; today, between 15 and 18 gas stations were reported closed.
José Luis Ballesteros, president of the Association of Gasoline Entrepreneurs of the State of Oaxaca (EGEO), explained that there is currently uncertainty due to the occupation of the Pemex Storage and Dispatch Terminal by teachers from Section 22 of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE).
The uncertainty stems from not knowing exactly when the teachers will allow the terminal to reopen, making it impossible to plan fuel deliveries. Furthermore, the windows of time during which operations are permitted are insufficient to guarantee or achieve supply for all service stations.
“So, the reaction time is a bit slower, and the trucks leaving—the tankers heading out—are by no means sufficient to supply every station.”
The crisis began on Monday of this week, when teachers from SNTE Section 22 permanently occupied the Pemex facilities located in Santa María El Tule. Although they now allow the facility to reopen for a few hours at a time, this is not enough to normalize service. Early this morning, he noted, they cleared the facilities around 3:00 a.m., but blocked them again at 9:00 a.m.
The most critical moment, he said, was last Tuesday, when the number of gas stations closed due to a lack of fuel reached 25.
“There is no way for Pemex to supply stations with any regularity or to plan anything at all. They don’t know what to do with their staff; they leave a skeleton crew on duty, and when the facility opens, it is that crew that handles the process.”
This has resulted in some gas stations having no fuel today, only to have it available tomorrow; …and vice versa: those that have supplies today will not have them tomorrow. Meanwhile, the public has resorted to buying larger quantities of gasoline than usual, fearing a service outage.
“We are facing uncertainty where we simply don’t know what will happen; I mean, I can’t say what will occur tomorrow—they might announce the problem is resolved and the Tule terminal is open, but then again, they might not,” he insisted.
So far, he noted, there is no estimate of the economic impact on gas station owners caused by the occupation of the Pemex storage and dispatch terminal.
Ballesteros urged the teachers of SNTE Section 22 to reconsider their protest and allow the delivery of gasoline and diesel to the various service stations located in the municipalities of the Central Valleys region.
Source: msn
