Jet fuel secured to address shortage

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and stakeholders in the fuels industry have adopted a logistics plan for the transportation of jet fuel for OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).

The stakeholders include SASOL and the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa.

“This means that there is no longer a shortage of jet fuel for the refuelling of airlines across ORTIA,” the Transport Department said on Sunday.

READ | Jet fuel secured for OR Tambo International Airport

The logistics plan was developed by the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and adopted in a meeting convened by the Minister on Friday, 31 January.

On 1 February, the opening stock at ORTIA was 20.1 million litres.

“An additional 59 million litres of jet fuel have been injected into the pipeline in the last week… and this volume will arrive at ORTIA by 6 February. This volume may necessitate the removal of the current restrictions on airlines and bring the fuel supply closer to normal operations,” the department said.

The department said 71.5 million litres of jet fuel will be imported into Durban via three vessels expected to arrive on 5 February and 10 February, respectively. The imported fuel will then be transported to ORTIA via pipeline.

The total available stock in February will be 150.6 million litres.

“In addition, the fuel industry has also agreed to establish a mechanism to share across contracted airlines so that any airline whose supplier runs short is able to access from a non-contracted supplier.

“The Minister has commended the various stakeholders for their collaborative efforts.  She also expressed her appreciation to all partners, airline customers, and the public for their understanding and co-operation during this period,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za