Small oil players urged to help ease fuel shortage

LPG Marketers’ Association (LPGMA) Representative Arnel Ty encouraged the Philippines’ independent oil firms to build up their capacity and keep their retail service stations open for longer hours if necessary to help alleviate the fuel shortage caused by the shutdown of the Batangas-Manila pipeline. The leading independent industry players in the country include Eastern Petroleum Corp., TWA Inc. (Flying V), Seaoil Philippines Inc., Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc., Filoil Gas Co., Filpride Energy Corp., and Oilink International Corp. “They won’t be able to fill the whole gap between demand and supply, but they can definitely provide some buffer and help abate the shortage,” Ty said. With the shutdown of the pipeline, Shell and Chevron are scrambling for other ways to transport their supplies, causing delays in deliveries to their retail outlets and some scarcity. (December 12, 2010)