BELIZE CITY, Tues. May 25, 2021– Today, long lines could be seen at gas service stations across Belize City as a rumored fuel shortage caused panic across the country. Over the weekend, word began to spread among the country’s residents that the fuel supply in the country was terribly low, and may run out at any time.
This led consumers to engage in panic buying across the country over the long weekend, which resulted in a nationwide fuel shortage on Tuesday.
Long lines could be seen at the Shell and UNO service stations on the Central American Boulevard. The Puma service station on Freetown Road was the only service station with premium and regular fuel, and the lines of customers waiting on the street outside the station to purchase some of that fuel stretched for what looked like leagues.
The supply of the service station at UNO was replenished with a ration of fuel on Tuesday morning, which was depleted before noon on that day.
Drivers rushed to the pumps, fearing a possibly prolonged shortage. The supplier of fuel to the country, Puma Energy, released a statement on Tuesday to address the public’s fears. They explained that bad weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico had delayed delivery of fuel to Belize. The company further stated that overland trucks were deployed over the weekend and were scheduled to arrive in Belize by Wednesday, May 26, which, they hoped, would normalize supply levels by this Thursday.
“Unfortunately, the weather events of this past weekend were heightened by a ‘panic buying’ that led to low reserves on most of the service stations countrywide. Gasoline supplies are being replenished today, Tuesday, May 25, 2021, to service stations countrywide. The tanker is expected to arrive tomorrow, Wednesday, and deliver its cargo, with product supply normalized by Thursday, May 27, 2021,” the Puma Energy statement indicated.
The Financial Secretary, Joesph Waight, reiterated this when he informed local media that the company was already loading bowsers on Tuesday that were expected to be delivered to the districts by Tuesday afternoon.
The Belize Retail Service Station Association released a statement, however, in which it was critical of both the government and Puma Energy. In that statement the association said that they were left out of the loop, and that despite being the owners of the country’s service stations, they were not made aware of the imminent shortage of fuel supplies.
The release states, “This occurrence has proven once again the need for action and resolution against the lack of public information from the government and the importer (Puma Energy Bahamas). Even as the fuel industry’s front line, the BRSSA dealers have not been consulted in coming up with measures directed towards mitigating the effects of public panic during times like these. We, the dealers, are committed to creating a seat at the table so as to provide an outlet for the public’s fuel-related concerns as well as to help in coming up with solutions that will better serve us all.”
They added that the issue must not go unaddressed, and noted that it is their duty to provide the public with helpful information when situations like these arise.