23 August 2016
JEDDAH: The Ministry of Interior instructed all governorates and the Ministries of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Transportation to implement six recommendations issued to address the shortage of diesel and other petroleum products at some petrol stations around the Kingdom.

The ministry said one of the reasons for the shortage is the time taken to unload fuel tankers at the stations.

The six recommendations, prepared by committees made up of representatives of different bodies, are based on a clear and unified plan to get petroleum products to consumers safely, said the ministry.

The recommendations include forming committees in different governorates, comprising representatives of all concerned authorities, to come up with a mechanism to determine the times of entry of fuel tankers into the provinces in these governorates to unload their cargo.

By serving the stations directly, unlike now, when fuel is collected at the entrance to cities or on the side roads, petroleum products would reach consumers more quickly.

Such arrangement should be valid for small provinces and for areas not crowded with vehicles as well.

The second recommendation involves erecting stations where fuel and other tankers can stop during times when they are prohibited from entering cities, taking into account the urban expansion and ensuring that these stations are far from city entrances.

The third recommendation is that Saudi Aramco continue to carry out technical inspections of all fuel tankers that enter its facilities, and that it keeps inspection measures up to date.

The fourth recommendation stipulates that Saudi Aramco should oversee, in coordination with the Civil Defense, public security, the Ministry of Transport, the chambers of commerce and industry, and oil transport companies, the placement of awareness signs in different languages to make tanker drivers aware of the dangers of the products they transport and instruct them how to travel and unload safely.

As per the fifth recommendation, the chambers of commerce and industry throughout the Kingdom should conceive training and awareness programs for transport companies and their drivers, while the sixth recommendation calls on all bodies to apply appropriate sanctions against violators of road and safety systems.

© Arab News 2016