Assurances from the top brass of replenished supplies did little to stop the long lines at service stations Tuesday, as residents sought to fill their vehicles and secure LPG days away from Christmas
JOHN’S, Antigua (December 20, 2022)–With five days left before Christmas and just hours after the announcement of the January 18, 2023 election date, residents of Antigua and Barbuda continue to clamor for gasoline, diesel and propane.
Uneasiness swept across the country last week when the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) announced that sea swells were preventing ships from docking and unloading supplies. Though a ship would eventually berth over the weekend, distribution could not keep up with the high demand during the peak holiday season.
Further concerns over a shortage of petrol and diesel triggered long lines at local gas stations late Monday ahead of a candidate launch and concert planned by the incumbent Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP). But Prime Minister Gaston Browne maintained WIOC, the local supplier of petroleum products, has more than sufficient supplies.
“We have offloaded a ship filled with petroleum products,” Browne told Dadli Media (DM) shortly after announcing the election date. “The tanks are full. I don’t know where people got the impression from that we’re going to run out of gasoline and diesel, but the tanks are full currently.”
WIOC Chief Executive Officer Gregory Georges said that problems stemmed from bad weather, which led to an inordinate delay in deliveries to the island. “The initial shipment was delayed, (but) it’s there now. We have no gasoline shortage,” he said in a DM interview Tuesday.”
“There were no ships berthed for about two weeks because of the weather. During that period, we actually depleted our supplies,” he said. He also noted that unlike cruise ships, which dock within the shelter of a harbour, the fuel tankers berth at a dock in open waters, making the process much more dangerous.
Georges confirmed that stocks were replenished, but he said consumers were frantically stocking up out of fear of a shortage.
“We’re working feverishly out there now to replenish all our depots (and) to replenish the service stations, but what’s going on is panic buying,” the WIOC executive said.
Long queues continued at service stations Tuesday morning. Those that ran out of gas posted “No Gas” signs, much to the disappointment of anxious patrons.
“Things are just falling apart.” United Progressive Party Leader Harold Lovell said.
“That ‘nancy story that they are bringing us, I simply don’t buy it, and now we have gasoline being scarce, something is wrong,” Lovell said.
The opposition party leader and former finance minister questioned the cause of such a shortage. “Where is the storage capacity and why aren’t we purchasing enough that we can go from one shipment to another without having these shortages?” he asked.
“Is it, as many people are saying, that the cash flow at West Indies Oil has been significantly affected by (the) government’s draw down? Is it that they have not had money to purchase reserves?” he questioned.
But Georges swiftly dismissed Lovell’s comment as “absolute nonsense.”
“There is no cash flow issue whatsoever with our suppliers,” Georges said. “In fact, we have enjoyed excellent credit terms with our suppliers.”
A protracted gas shortage, real or perceived, is likely to derail the incumbent’s ABLP’s momentum as it forges ahead to its January 18 target. It has now become a point of contention for the upcoming elections.
