BINTULU: The shortage of diesel that has been hitting this town again since last week left many consumers fuming, with long queues seen at petrol stations as drivers waited impatiently to top up their fuel tanks.
With limited stock, it is understood that several kiosks are limiting their sales of diesel to RM50 per vehicle to avoid running out of supply too fast.
When contacted yesterday, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) Bintulu branch chief Mohamad Drahman said he had been informed by the officer-in-charge that the shortage was caused by the inability of an oil company’s transport contractor to deliver the fuel from the company’s depot in Tg Kidurong to the stations due to insufficient number of road tankers.
He said this had caused the stations to run out of stock before they could be replenished, assuring that the oil companies had sufficient stock in their depots.
He also attributed the shortage at the petrol stations to the congestion and long queues at the depot in Tg Kidurong.
“For your information, this depot also supplies diesel and petrol to as far as Sangan, Mukah, Niah and Limbang apart from local areas such as Tatau, Sebauh and Belaga.
“Just imagine, the congestion at the terminal and long queues with hours of waiting time, not only involving one company but many, it would not be possible to meet the growing needs of this fast developing town,” he said.
Mohamad lamented that the relevant authorities should have foreseen the swelling demand due to the town’s rapid development and come up with concrete ways to prevent the recurrence of fuel shortage.
Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who held a dialogue with the relevant parties over this matter a few months ago, said rapid development in Bintulu in the past 10 years with at least 60 per cent of the state’s lorries and heavy machineries operating here had increased the demand for diesel.