Abou Chakra attributed the rise in diesel and gasoline prices Tuesday to increases in the global fuel prices. (Credit: João Sousa/L’Orient Today)
BEIRUT — The spokesperson for the fuel distributors’ syndicate, Fadi Abou Chakra, said in an interview with the state-run National News Agency on Tuesday that he anticipates no gasoline crisis in the foreseeable future.
Here’s what we know:
• Abou Chakra noted that “some oil importing companies have quantities of gasoline and deliver them to stations, and there are some companies that are waiting for legal transactions to be cleared.”
• Concerning the rise in the prices of gasoline and diesel today, he pointed out that “the reason is due to the high price of oil globally,” as the crisis between Ukraine and Russia is affecting the market.
• Abou Chakra also expressed surprise that diesel remains scarce in the market, attributing the shortage to the state facilities’ failure to import sufficient quantities of diesel to supply the market demand, especially since the need for the substance increased recently in the wake of cold weather.
• The continuous interruption of the electric current called for a heavy consumption of diesel since more generators are being used, also exacerbating the demand for fuel, Abou Chakra added.
• On Feb. 7, Abou Chakra had told L’Orient Today that “diesel has been short in supply for about a week now due to high demand ….” He added then that a shipment of diesel should arrive in Lebanon “soon.”
• In a statement, syndicate of station owners member George Brax also attributed Tuesday’s new fuel prices to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, in addition to the lack of large fluctuations in the exchange rates of US dollars in the Lebanese market.