Featured

South Africa: 2 million litres of petrol stolen from pipelines

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:43 pm

Transnet said on Wednesday that 26 fuel theft incidents along its inland fuel pipelines from April had resulted in more than 2 million litres of petroleum products being stolen.

Tampering with and damage to the pipelines as a result of theft had been cited as one of the reasons for the diesel shortage in Gauteng and other inland areas.

The network of 3 800km of high-pressure pipelines traverses five provinces and supplies about 250 million litres a week of refined petroleum products to inland markets, which accounts for 65 percent of the total demand.

In addition to increased security measures along the pipeline, Transnet was working with the Hawks, National Crime Intelligence and SA Police Service to reduce the thefts, and a number of arrests and impounding of vehicles and tankers had already taken place, Transnet said.

The SA Petroleum Industries Association, which represents the major oil refinery companies, said last week that diesel and petrol stock availability was improving with the lowering of lockdown levels, product deliveries at the port of Durban and pipeline deliveries having resumed.

These products were expected to reach the inland markets within seven to 14 days, which was the lead time from Durban to Gauteng by pipeline.

During this time, supply was expected to stabilise across the country as more refineries were online and producing fuel.

At the end of May, about 30 percent of the country’s refining capacity was shut down due to the drop in demand, as there were fewer vehicles on the roads through the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sasol and Total SA shut the Natref refinery in April after the government restricted economic activity.

(IOL)

Albert Echetah

Recent Posts

Africa’s Green Energy Push Aims to Electrify 570 Million Lives

The push toward renewable energy in Africa helps the 570 million people who currently live without reliable power access. Many…

March 17, 2025

Algeria Ramps Up Final Preparations for IATF2025 Trade Fair

The Algerian government prepares the hosting facilities for the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025, which will open its doors on September…

March 17, 2025

Laura Wolvaardt Calls for More Women’s Test Matches

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt wants cricket authorities to arrange more Test matches for women because Test cricket represents the…

March 16, 2025

Trump Administration Expels South African Ambassador Over Critical Comments

The United States issued Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool a one-way travel ticket from South Africa to show decreasing trust between the…

March 15, 2025

South African Coffee Giant Vida e Caffè Marks 300th Store Milestone

Vida e Caffè achieved a major milestone when they opened their 300th South African outlet in Secunda Mpumalanga making it…

March 14, 2025

Iran Announces New Shipping Line to West Africa Over Economic Push

The Trade Promotion Organization of Iran revealed its plan to launch a special shipping line to West Africa through its…

March 14, 2025

This website uses cookies.