HCM City seeks solutions to selling of adulterated products

Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City’s Department of Science and Technology is working with oil companies to seek solutions to prevent gasoline stations from selling sub-standard products. At a meeting held on December 20, participants said that oil companies should refuse to sell petroleum products to stations selling sub-standard products to customers. However, according to many oil companies, the quality of petrol can only be ensured when it is being transported from ports to oil companies’ storage terminals, not to retail outlets. The department also has asked oil companies to review petrol-quality control procedures (from the time of importation to the retail pump) and report these to the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ). In addition, the department has asked oil companies to acquire portable octane measuring devices so they can measure whether their gasoline do in fact meet the octane numbers stated at the pump. (December 23, 2011)