Many petrol stations in southern localities temporarily limit their operations, even close their doors all together following rumors petrol price will surge in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the country’s leading petrol providers have pledged to ensure petrol supply to their general agents.

Local market management forces have strengthened inspections and penalized a number of stations which refuse to sell petrol in anticipation of the hike.

Forced to open, many stations cut their staff, turn off lighting systems, hang signboards that read “temporary suspension” and reduce the volume of petrol sold.

This signboard says “temporary suspension”

On strike

During the past few days, Market Management Team 12B in Ho Chi Minh City found many petrol stations in District 12 deliberately limit the sale of petrol.

While many were asked to resume their normal operation, four stations in the district were given warnings and administrative penalties for speculation in the gasoline.

Of these, the station owned by Nam Phat Dat private enterprise was fined VND25 million yesterday.

In An Giang province, many stations closed as early as 4:30 pm and some in rural areas increased petrol price by VND600 per liter.

Yesterday evening, many residents in Long Xuyen province complained that two stations Hoa Binh 1 and Hoa Binh 2, owned by the Military Petrol and Oil Corporation, refused to sell petrol that exceeds VND30,000 per customer and closed much earlier than usual.

Lu Minh Hai, head of the Kien Giang province Market Management Department, said the supply of petrol and oil in the province became strained, since leading providers had not supplied the fuels enough to petrol and oil stations.

He said four stations had been fined for their selling petrol at prices higher than regulated.

In Long An province, many fuel stations closed yesterday to local residents’ surprise and anger.

Nguyen Van Minh, head of the provincial market management Department, said many stations closed because they faced an insufficient supply and a low rate of commission for petrol and oil agents.

In Dong Nai, many petrol stations closed sooner than usual yesterday, saying that they had no petrol left for sale. They included those named Nguyen Van An, Pham Hung Thang, Thanh Thai, etc.

No penalties were given to these stations.

Limited supply

Vuong Thai Dung, deputy director of Petrolimex, one of the country’s leading fuel providers, said the corporation only ensures supply to its own agent systems, due to limited capacity.

Recently, many Petrolimex-owned petrol stations have seen their sales increase sharply, while many other stations lacked petrol for sale. This situation proved that some other leading importers had not imported petrol enough to ensure supply to their agents, Mr. Dung said.

“Competent agencies should examine and improve this situation, since all leading petrol importers have already has their own quotas,” he said.

He confirmed that Petrolimex suffered a loss of up to VND70 billion everyday and that the corporation did not have enough US dollars to import fuels, although it has been enjoying supports from banks.

HCM City to strictly punish violators

The city Market Management Department ordered its units in 24 districts to tighten control over petrol stations’ operation and impose strictly penalties to those speculating in the fuel, said Dang Van Duc, head of department.

The penalties include:

- VND10-15 million (US$480-718) for cutting down or halting the sale of petrol to the market

- VND20-30 million ($960-1,436) for speculation of petrol at a rate that exceeds 150 percent of the average storage of the last three consecutive months.

- A withdrawal of business license for repeat violators

Source: Tuoi Tre