Belize was gripped by a fuel shortage today - and tonight many gas stations remain without premium and regular fuel.
The rumours of an impending fuel shortage started circulating this weekend - and this morning as gas stations really started to run out of gas, Belize a full fledged panic set in. Cherisse Halsall was out there to see it at Freetown Gas Station:
I'm here at Puma Freetown, they say it's the only service station with Premium and Regular fuel in the city, and the lines are long and growing, most buying because they need, others buying out of panic because they don't know how long the shortage will last.
Interviewee
"I've never seen anything like this, never, ever."
Cherisse Halsall:
"This type of shortage."
Interviewee
"Never, ever and it's so ironic because the only station that has is Johnny's gas station, this is crazy miss."
Cherisse Halsall:
"What do you mean by Johnny Gas station, the Prime Minister's?"
Interviewee
"The Prime Minister's gas station is the only gas station with gas, that's craziness. You know how many people call me for a taxi already, and that's because I don't have any gas. Nobody woke up this morning expecting this, this is craziness miss."
Interviewee 2
"We're just filling up our vehicle, you know. I just found out that they got gas so We're just trying to get some."
And by this afternoon Puma had issued a press release assuring customers that the situation is already returning to normal.
They say that this morning's shortage was caused by a combination of bad weather and long weekend panic buying.
Financial Secretary Joe Waight agreed this morning when he said that "PUMA is loading bowsers at the terminal and that some are already on their way to the districts and to service stations in Belize City...PUMA expects the situation to return to normal by this afternoon."
But the fuel dealers put it slightly differently. They say "This occurrence has proved once again the need for action and resolution against the lack of Public information from the government and the importer …The…dealers have not been consulted in coming up with measures directed towards mitigating the effects of public panic during times like these."
So, these lines will be gone by the time you see this newscast, but the next question is at what price will the new shipment be retailed - if it's higher, it may have been worth the time for all these folks to fill up on the old stock.
So, as you heard, there are three narratives coming out of the fuel crisis. Government is saying that PUMA is normalising supply and that things were already returning to normal this afternoon. PUMA is saying that first, the tanker ship did not come in due to bad weather in the Gulf of Mexico, which was then aggravated by panic buying. But, they too say that supplies were starting to be normalised this afternoon by trucks coming overland in advance of the tanker ship which arrives tomorrow. So, basically both of them are saying, everything's gonna be just fine.
But, then on the other hand you have the The Belize Retail Service Station Association - these are basically gas station owners. They say no one has communicated with them and fuel delivery was delayed, quote, "For reasons unknown to (them)." They add, saltily, quote, "The BRSSA dealers have not been consulted in coming up with measures directed towards mitigating the effects of public panic during times like these." End quote.
Reliable sources tell us some stations are still not getting a clear indication on when regular and premium will be delivered, and that PUMA had been rationing fuel for two weeks to non-Puma stations.
