Motorists in three of the country’s four cities continue to endure long queues and dry pumps at fuel service stations for three weeks and counting.
In Blantyre City, Zomba and Mzuzu long queues of vehicles can be seen at the few service stations with fuel, mostly petrol. The situation is similar at stations speculated to take delivery as Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) is no longer releasing the delivery schedule.
On the other hand, Lilongwe City had relatively better availability of petrol in fuel service stations.
Most fuel service stations dotted along the M1 between Blantyre and Lilongwe also had both diesel and petrol in stock as of Monday evening. These include stations at Zalewa in Neno, Ntcheu and Dedza.
Spot-checks in Salima, Mangochi, Balaka and Thyolo also revealed erratic availability while Chikwawa, Rumphi and Karonga districts had stable supply as of yesterday.
In an interview, Fuel Retailers Association chairperson Happy Jere said petrol supply improved in Lilongwe and other districts such as Nkhotakota over the weekend following fresh deliveries.
“With the current situation, there is speculation leading to panic buying, which is also contributing to stockouts,” he said.
Transporters Association of Malawi director and spokesperson Frank Banda said hauliers continue to bring in both diesel and petrol from Tanzania.
“Some tankers have arrived this morning [Tuesday], including 10 from our side which have delivered petrol in Blantyre. After offloading, they will go back to Tanzania to carry more fuel,” he said.
Banda said he was optimistic that the fuel situation will stabilise as more products are hauled into the country.
Mera public relations and consumer affairs manager Fitina Khonje yesterday attributed disparities in availability of diesel and petrol in different areas to the ongoing supply challenges.
In an earlier statement issued on March 24, Mera indicated that delays in shipment, port and border clearance were the causes of the intermittent supply in the country.
Meanwhile, supply challenges have also affected Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) with spot-checks in Zomba, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Lilongwe indicating erratic supply.
LPG retailer 265 Energy public relations officer Phillip White said the frequency of deliveries has slowed down.
“Normally we receive four tankers in a week but this is the second week since the last delivery so we have run out of the product,” he said.
Last week, Mera said instability around the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global fuel supply with potential implications for import dependent countries like Malawi.
The joint US and Israel war on Iran has disrupted traffic flow around the Strait of Hormuz which handles around 25 percent of global crude oil trade.
The supply pressures have already triggered price increase with petrol rising by 34 percent from K4 965 to K6 672 per litre, diesel by 35 percent from K4 945 to K6 687 and paraffin by 82 percent from K3 200 to K5 824.
Jet A‑1 prices at Kamuzu International Airport jumped to K5 439 (a 79 percent rise), while at Bakili Muluzi International Airport the price rose to K5 423 (an 81percent increase).
This is the second major adjustment in four months, following a 41 percent hike in January and a 33 percent rise in October, a cumulative increase of roughly 108 percent over eight months.
