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• Sahara Group inaugurates petrol storage facility in Tanzania
As part of the efforts to curb the illegal activities of fuel marketers, which have worsened petrol scarcity across the country, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has unveiled a new set of sanctions for marketers that hoard petrol and sell above the official prices.
This is coming as a strategic hub for facilitating the distribution of petroleum products within Tanzania and other East African nations has emerged with the inauguration of a terminal that has a 36 million -litre storage facility by Sahara Group in Tanzania.
DPR’s Zonal Operations Controller, Lagos, Mr. Wole Akinyosoye, alleged in a statement yesterday that some depot owners are selling petrol to unlicensed bulk buyers and some retailers at prices above the approved ex-depot prices.
He also noted that some retail outlets hoard petrol or sell at above the industry-set cap price.
“These actions are clear violations of the Petroleum Act 1969 and extant Regulations and they exacerbate the current supply challenges by bringing unnecessary hardships on the consumers. Sequel to the foregoing, the Department has been sanctioning the erring operators and wishes to hereby reiterate that the following penalties would be imposed on any operator engaging in illicit acts as applicable,” Akinyosoye said.
For depots selling petrol to bulk buyers without verifiable retail outlets, Akinyosoye said the offence would attract a fine of N10 million and closure of the erring depot for at least six months, after the products in the depot have been sold off.
According to him, marketers who sell petrol above approved ex-depot price shall pay a fine of N20 million, while the DPR would close the erring depot for at least three months.
He also added that the PPMC shall also exclude the erring depot from coastal supply allocation for at least a period of one calendar year.
The DPR has also stated that a fine of N200.00 per litre would be imposed on the hoarded product and the erring station would be closed for at least six months.
In addition, the recovered product would be auctioned off free to the public, the agency added.
For filling stations that sell above the N145 pump price, the agency said the affected station would be closed for six months while the product being sold above the cap price would be auctioned off to the public.
“We are also assuring the public that the government is doing everything to ensure restoration of normalcy to the sector,” the statement added.
In a related development, Sahara Group has inaugurated a 36 million-litre capacity petroleum storage terminal located in Vijibweni, Industrial area Kigamboni in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
The company said in a statement yesterday that the facility had a storage capacity of 18 million litres for diesel and 18 million litres for petrol.
The company also has six loading arms for petrol and six loading arms for diesel, which gives it capacity to load up to 120 trucks per day.
Speaking at the official inauguration of the facility in Dar Es Salaam, Supply Manager, Petroleum Bulk Purchasing Agency (PBPA), Raymond Lusekelo, said the entry of Sahara Tanzania Limited into the oil and gas sector in Tanzania was remarkable at a period where the administration of His Excellency, Mr. John Magufuli was spearheading an unprecedented drive to bring about significant investment in the sector.
“I salute and congratulate the Board and Management of Sahara Tanzania Limited on the commissioning of its terminal which we are gathered to celebrate today. This is a strategic investment that signposts the commitment of the company to enhancing the profile of the sector through continuing investments across the entire energy value chain,” he said.
According to Terminal Manager, Sahara Tanzania Limited, Taofik Lawal, the company commenced operations in March 2016, with a “dynamic blend of young talent and state of the art technology that is redefining the oil and gas sector in Tanzania.”
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