Transportation companies are in need of consistent fuel supply, especially as Tet approaches, yet many shops are hoarding their diesel fuel supplies.
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A petrol shops saying they were sold out. |
In some northern provinces of Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hai Phong, and Lang Son, customers have become annoyed with the practice, particularly transportation enterprises.
Nguyen Thien Hung, manager of a transportation company in Hanoi, has sent a letter to Dan Tri/DTiNews informing that his company is facing numerous problems because their petrol supplier has stopped selling diesel fuel.
“We have a singed contract with a petrol agent in Yen Vien Town, Gia Lam District but for the last 10 days, we cannot buy any diesel from them,” Hung wrote. “They have been explaining that they are still waiting to get the fuel from another supplier in Hai Phong City. It is terrible because we need diesel fuel everyday to transport goods for our customers.”
A driver in Ninh Binh Province on December 20 also complained to Dan Tri/DTiNews that he could not buy diesel fuel for his truck because all Petrolimex’s petrol shops said they were sold out.
Drivers in other provinces like Lang Son and Hai Phong have also faced the same problem. Luckier drivers would still have to queue long time or were only allowed to buy a maximum of 20 litres.
Hung urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade to quickly solve this problem. “The ministry should strictly punish cases of speculation, even revoke their business license,” he said. “If this situation keeps going on, transportation will become deadlocked and that will greatly affect many other social activities, especially with increasing delivery demand at the year’s end.
In an interview with Vietnam Television, a representative from Petrolimex said that not only they, but many other traders are facing difficulties in petrol import due to lack of foreign currency and high exchange rates.
Many trading companies have changed their import plans or reduced commissions for agents to avoid losses, causing some petrol stations to stop or reduce their sale volume and wait for the price to go up.
On December 16, The Ministry of Industry and Trade held a meeting with local petrol traders to ensure petrol supply and price stability. They vowed that they would take measures to ensure that supply and price remain stable through the 1st quarter of 2011.