By Clement Atagra & Kwadwo B. Donkor

The slight hitch which resulted in the temporary shortage of fuel to parts of Accra has been resolved. Consequently, the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has started discharging fuel, the Public Relations Manager of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr Steve Larbi, told the Times in Accra yesterday.

He explained that the problem was occasioned by a storm on the high seas which delayed the berthing of ships carrying the fuel for onward delivery to the oil marketing companies (OMCs) from TOR.”

“The situation will ease significantly today,” Mr Larbi assured, stressing that by 10 a.m tomorrow (today), the situation would have eased considerably.

“As I talk to you, fuel is being discharged and filling stations will soon begin to have their stock,” he added.

He said the problem was precarious only in Accra as the other regions had enough stock, contending that “the TOR currently takes delivery of fuel from north western Europe and the Mediterranean among others.”

Ms Aba Lokko, Public Relations Manager of TOR, on her part said “the situation has been compounded by the cut in the supply of fuel to eleven OMCs for default in payment.”

A visit to some fuel retail stations by the Times yesterday revealed long queues of cars and gallon-holding drivers who had besieged the stations with the hope of getting a few litres to enable them to move their cars.

There were long winding queues to the few stations that still had some of their supplies left.

At the Abossey Okai Total Filling Station, Kweku Ampong, a clearing agent at the Tema Port said he had been roaming since morning in search of fuel but to no avail.

He said he had parked his car at the harbour and was roaming with a gallon to buy a few litres to enable him to move his car home.

Another man, Kyei Baafour, a taxi driver, said he was unable to work the whole day as he could not get fuel for his car.

At the South Liberia Road Goil filling station, the situation was not any different as at yesterday morning, he said the station had only 20,000 gallons of fuel in stock explaining that “we have placed orders and we are yet to get the supply.”

From Legon through 37 Hospital to Accra and Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the story was the same.

All the stations that had fuel, mostly Total and Goil, experienced long and meandering queues.

The fuel shortage started at the week end when some stations reported that they had run out of stock.

However, the Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr Kwabena Donkor, came on air to assure the country that there was no cause for alarm.

He attributed the situation to the heavy rains which he said was hampering navigation to enable the ships to dock at the port to offload their supplies.