Haiti: Gangs Steal Several Fuel Tankers

On Saturday, the coalition of gangs terrorizing the Haitian capital stole several fuel trucks, a fact that encourages the illicit sale of petroleum derivatives. Although the Haitian National Police regained control of access to the Varreux oil terminal, no vehicles were able to leave the terminal, just 16 days after the petrol stations were refueled.

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The management of the facility now has to carry out an inventory after the theft of the tankers, the Haiti Libre digital newspaper reported.

On 23 April, the coalition of gangs took control of access to the Varreux oil terminal and the Caribbean Port Services (CPS) port station.

The bandits took 10 trucks to use as barricades, making it impossible for the facility to dispense fuels and making it impossible for tanker vehicles to get there.

Terminal management and employees have already been safely evacuated from the site, which was under siege by the bandits.

The bandits had the area surrounded and no one can reach the PSC, which has not been receiving container ships since 5 March.

In this context, the fuel crisis in Haiti is notorious and while in Port-au-Prince many gas stations remain closed, speculators dispense petroleum derivatives at excessive prices.

Officials at the Varreux Terminal reported that on 15 and 16 April, 135 tanker trucks were supplied with diesel and gasoline, amounting to a total of 1,101,300 gallons.

Despite these supposed deliveries to gas stations, they remain closed.

David Turnier, one of the directors of the Asociación Nacional de Distribuidores de Productos Petrolíferos (National Association of Oil Product Distributors), explained that there are several factors that contribute to the long queues to buy petrol and diesel.

The gangs that control the port area prevent companies in the sector from receiving shipments from abroad, and this also has repercussions for those in charge of transporting it, as they are unable to access the precious product.

Turnier indicated that the sector is facing a decrease in the number of service stations available to serve the population, as several gas stations are located in conflict and high-risk zones, a situation that forced their managers to suspend operations.

Now," Turnier added, "there is uncertainty about the arrival of an oil tanker, and we have no date for that to happen.

He commented that petrol station owners prefer to order diesel, because demand is significantly lower than consumption, and thus avoid queue disturbances during the sale.