Cairo- Since yesterday, the Ministry of Petroleum started receiving fuel pumps complaints with “gasoline pump” with a maximum of 2000 pounds for compensation (the dollar equals 51 pounds) using the complaint number registered during the period 4-10 May this year, while submitting the car ownership documents and the approved replacement bill.
During the past few days, car queues have been strict in front of maintenance centers to replace damaged fuel pumps, in Cairo and several Egyptian governorates, in conjunction with the escalation of the conversation on social media about the presence of “adulterated gasoline”, especially in the two types 92 and 95, the most used.
While publications and certificates spread that fuel pumps were damaged by cars, observers and consumers wondered whether the crisis was real and is due to corruption or neglect that led to fuel pollution, or is there something else.
For their part, consumers have become less confident in official accounts, and with the frequent changes in the market, the sudden interruption of some species and then their return at higher prices, the conviction of the existence of manipulation grows.
In a field tour of Al -Jazeera Net, with a number of crowded fuel stations, the stations workers reported a real crisis from the suppliers, not the stations.
The director of one of the stations, in order to be named, confirmed that the stations are subject to a periodic inspection, and gasoline tanks are accurately examined to ensure that it is not mixed with water.
In turn, MP Fatima Salim applied an urgent briefing to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Petroleum and Supply, after citizens’ complaints of “adulterated” or low -quality petrol escalated that caused sudden breakdowns to their cars, especially in gasoline pumps, amid a sudden stop of a number of stations.
She said in a post on her official Facebook page: “What is required now is not only clear answers from the government, but to conduct an immediate, independent and transparent investigation to reveal the circumstances of the matter and announce its results to public opinion without delay.”
Government position
On the other hand, the Ministry of Petroleum came out with a decisive official statement, confirming the state’s full commitment to quality and standard specifications, in an attempt to calm fears and reassure citizens, before the ministry retracted its position and recognized the crisis and then decided to compensate the users according to controls that sparked controversy.
The first official reaction to the concerns raised, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources tightened in a statement that “all petroleum products, including locally marketed gasoline, are subject to accurate monitoring and control of the various production and distribution operations to ensure their conformity with the Egyptian standard specifications.”
The ministry explained that samples of gasoline were analyzed in various parts of the country, whether from the warehouses of distribution companies or from the producing refining companies, and the results – until its date – showed a complete matching of the standard specifications.
The statement added that “all the major marketing companies were contacted, including Egypt Petroleum and Cooperation, along with other private companies, and all confirmed that they did not receive any complaints from customers related to the quality of gasoline.”
According to the Ministry of Petroleum, gasoline analysis certificates for the month of April, until the date of the statement, showed the continued conformity of the product to the specifications. The Ministry also pushed additional inspection groups to withdraw direct samples from fuel stations at the country level, as part of a plan to enhance control and follow -up procedures.
At the end of its statement, the Ministry confirmed that official communication channels are open to receive any complaints via the 16528 hotline, stressing its full commitment to ensuring the quality of petroleum products and achieving the stability of the local market.
Warning from cheating pockets
Despite the official denial, car users continued to complain about the damage of gasoline flying in their cars, and away from the popular noise, the experts of the sector sought to provide a technical and balanced reading of the current situation.
And the professor of oil economics, Jamal Al -Qalioubi, considered that the possibility of extensively adulterated gasoline in Egypt is “completely excluded”, and it is likely that some cases related to the decline in quality have appeared in remote or coastal areas lacking credit stations.
Al -Qalioubi said: “The matter may be related to some practices in some remote and coastal areas that may be absent from censorship, especially in which there is no approved petrol, and there may be some fraud practices for profit.”
He pointed out that some parties may resort to mixing high -quality petrol 95 with large quantities of Octin 80 petrol and selling it as gasoline 92, to achieve illegal financial gains.
Despite these concerns, Al -Qalioubi stressed that more than 5 thousand gasoline stations in Egypt are subject to the supervision of the General Petroleum Corporation, supported by strict technical and supervisory mechanisms, which include the Petroleum Research Institute and technical committees that roam the governorates to analyze gasoline samples.
He also explained that some of the breakdowns reported by consumers may be caused by technical factors, such as:
- Weak maintenance of some stations.
- Using low quality pumps due to resorting to cheap spare parts in light of the high price of the dollar.
- Mixing gasoline with water as a result of a defect in some equipment.
Al -Qalioubi stressed that “the 92 petrol in Egypt has quality and identical to the specifications, but it requires tightening control over some unlicensed distribution centers, which are outside the scope of direct control.”
He also denied the existence of any government trend to cancel 92 petrol in favor of 95 petrol, indicating that the current type is valid for more than 95% of cars, with the exception of luxury or high -performance groups.
Censorship
For his part, a former Egyptian oil minister – preferred not to be named – confirmed that the circulation of gasoline is not identical to the specifications in the licensed distribution stations “is not possible”, given the presence of severe central control that includes various governorates.
The former minister said: “The overwhelming majority of petrol 92 found in the market is identical to the specifications and has quality.”
But he did not completely rule out the possibility of “limited violations” as a result of logistical problems, such as:
- Water is leaked to some of the upcoming gasoline shipments by sea.
- Or errors in limited distribution stations may lead to mixing gasoline with water or unintended mixing with other types.
He concluded his speech to Al -Jazeera Net by emphasizing the necessity of “tightening control of fuel stations in some remote areas, and revealing the manipulators in full transparency, to ensure the stability of the market and prevent confusion, especially since stopping some fraud practices seems very easy.”
