Sinopec apologizes for having sold sub-standard gasoline

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. or Sinopec apologized for having sold sub-standard gasoline at its gas stations in the central Chinese province of Henan that damaged car engines. The defective 93-octane alcohol gasoline, bought from an external supplier at the end of March, wasn’t detected by the quality-control department at Sinopec’s Anyang branch in Henan province, according to a statement issued by the company’s Henan subsidiary. The defective fuel contained 0.022 gram of manganese per liter, higher than the national standard of 0.018 gram/liter. Its concentration of colloidal substance was also about seven times that of the standard amount, making car engines run less smoothly, Sinopec said. The company said it has drawn up a detailed compensation plan for cars affected by the fuel problem, but it didn’t specify how many cars were affected and details of the compensation. (April 28, 2010)