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Most petrol pumps in Sharjah run dry

SHARJAH — Motorists scampered to fill their car tanks as petrol pumps ran dry in the emirate on Wednesday morning.

A number of Eppco and ENOC petrol pumps in Sharjah ran short of petrol — both Special and Super — by 11am on Wednesday. Pumps in Dubai and Ajman did not report any shortages.

A company spokesperson could not confirm when supply was expected to be restored. By mid-afternoon, a few pumps that had petrol had shut down rows of filling stations, causing cars to queue up. Several employees said they had been given the day off.

This is the second time since April that motorists have had to face petrol shortages in the country. A few months ago, supply was disrupted at 75 Emarat petrol pumps in Dubai due to logistic issues. Eppco and ENOC were not affected at that time.

Attendants at a number of stations that Khaleej Times visited in Al Qassimiya and Al Khan areas said that they ran out of petrol early in the day, each citing a number of reasons for the shortage. However, since diesel was available, the pumps could not be closed down, they said. ENOC is managing 31 petrol stations in the emirate.

A statement issued by ENOC said the shortage was due to upgradation of selected stations. “ENOC is managing its fuel supplies to meet the current demand. This involves a two-pronged approach of regulating the distribution of fuel through our network, as well as upgrading selected stations,” said a spokesperson.

“ENOC is working with concerned authorities to further enhance the supplies. Simultaneously, we are accelerating the upgrade process. Selected stations will be upgraded progressively with the result that the operation of some petrol islands would be temporarily suspended. We regret any inconvenience caused to our customers,” added the spokesperson.

Frustrated motorists rushed to Abu Dhabi-owned Adnoc stations in panic where cars snaked down onto the roads.

“I have been turned away from at least four stations in Al Khan, Al Qassimiya and Caterpillar Roundabout,” said a motorist, Mohammed Ali. “And now I have been waiting in this line at Adnoc for the past hour,” he added.

Fahd Mustafa, another motorist said he was worried about the situation. “This is happening quite often now,” he said, adding that he would head to Dubai to fill up his car since the wait at Sharjah’s pumps was frustrating.

news@khaleejtimes.com