NP delivers fuel, no shortage of gas

As people continued panic buying of fuel Tuesday the National Petroleum Company (NP) issued a statement advising that fuel deliveries have been made to service stations in the North and along the East-West corridor from its Sea Lots plant.

NP also stated that up to late on Monday night it made deliveries to stations in South Trinidad. It said there is no need for panic since there is enough fuel for everyone's needs.

Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine also gave the same assurance. He confirmed that the refinery was shut down to protest unfilled vacancies, the lack of variable pay and the State's decision to grant a new contract to Bunkers Oil Trinidad and Tobago. The minister stated that NP would continue to provide a steady supply of fuel.

"The CEO of Unipet, Mr. Ronald Milford, has confirmed that Unipet stations have been replenished. The Port at Pointe a Pierre, which is where we fill two vessels that operate for NP, one that services Sea Lots in Port of Spain and the other which services the NP facility in Tobago, that Port has remained functional as regards to those two vessels," Ramnarine told local media.

He added that for now officials have shut down fuel exports as part of the a contingency plan.

"I would ask members of the public to have confidence in Petrotrin, in NP, and in the Ministry of Energy and the ability of those agencies to deliver fuel to all service stations in Trinidad and Tobago," the minister stated.

The President of Petrotrin assured reporters that workers are returning to their jobs. Khalid Hassanali said resumption in exploration and production operations had resumed and workers in the marketing department and port based at Pointe-a-Pierre were back out in normal numbers. Operations at the refinery would be resumed in stages, he stated.