No fuel shortage in Lebanon, industry representatives say

BEIRUT — George Brax, head of the Gas Station Owners’ Syndicate, denied to L’Orient Today rumors of a possible fuel shortage in Lebanon, circulating since Sunday.

“There are no queues outside gas stations, and there is no fuel crisis in Lebanon,” he said.

He added that a small number of stations in certain areas, particularly in the Bekaa and southern Lebanon, had not received their deliveries at the end of last week due to delays by fuel tankers. The stations belong to two oil companies, which he declined to name.

The vessel had been due to leave a refinery in the Mediterranean basin on Saturday but did not depart until Monday morning. It's now expected to arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday evening.

“Some people took advantage of a 48-hour delay to sow confusion on social media by urging citizens to fill up their tanks. People panicked and rushed to gas stations,” Brax said.

The missing quantities have since been covered through fuel loans provided to the two companies by other importers and storage facilities with available stocks, he added.

“The situation is completely normal,” Brax stressed, noting that three vessels carrying gasoline are expected to arrive in Lebanon this week.

Maroun Chammas, head of the Association of Petroleum Importing Companies, also denied any disruption to supplies. Speaking to LBCI on Monday, he said some shipments had been delayed by poor weather conditions, adding that two vessels were expected to begin arriving as early as Tuesday.

Chammas added that more than 120,000 tons of gasoline and over 60,000 tons of diesel are expected to be delivered to Lebanon over the next three days.