Watch out! Contaminated fuel on market

The police are investigating some fuel filling stations for selling contaminated fuel to unsuspecting motorists.

Hundreds of vehicles were grounded after buying fuel at the Radiance Filling Station at Nyanyano, near Kasoa in the Gomoa East District in the Central Region; Glee Oil at Kasoa and Top Oil at Ashaiman Klagon in the Greater Accra Region.

Checks by the Daily Graphic indicate that the managers of the erring filling stations have entered into negotiated settlements with the owners of the affected vehicles to fix the break-down vehicles for them free of charge.

The checks also indicate that more than 150 vehicles, mostly commercial, were grounded at Nyanyano alone after filling their tanks at the Radiance Station.

The development has sparked concerns about the presence of contaminated fuel on the market.

At the Glee Oil Station, more than 100 motorists had their vehicles jerking after refilling their tanks there.

A similar number of vehicles also reported suffering the same fate after refueling at the Ashaiman Top Oil Station.

Police on beat

The Gomoa East District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Daniel Kwao, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that many vehicles, mostly commercial, broke down after refueling at the Radiance Station.

“We have sent samples of the fuel we collected at the pumps to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for testing,” he said.

The Kasoa Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr David Agyemang Adjem, also said the police were awaiting the results of a test on samples of fuel from the Glee Oil Station sent to the GSA.

GSA confirmation

A source at the GSA confirmed that samples of fuel had been brought by the police from some fuel stations in Accra and its environs.

It emphasised that the samples of fuel the police brought did not pass the test, as they were found to be mixed with some liquid substances.

“Our elementary analysis showed that the fuel was so cloudy and poorly fell short of the standards for normal fuel that should be sold on the market,” it said.

COPEC decries situation

The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Mr Duncan Amoah, when contacted, decried the constant sale of contaminated fuel on the market.

“The issue of contaminated or bad fuel being sold to the unsuspecting public is one of the most worrying phenomena the chamber has had to advocate against for a long time now,” he said.

He said COPEC had received several complaints from consumers about their vehicles malfunctioning after buying fuel from certain outlets.

Some of the filling stations had also complained that they got the bad fuel from the depots, most of whom also denied discharging any such product, he said.

“It is pretty sad; consumers remain at the receiving end of a systemic problem that needs to be curtailed,” he said.

“We are going to forge closer collaboration with the regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), and the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs) in the coming days to ensure that those engaged in the practice of putting contaminated fuel on the market are duly sanctioned and appropriate compensation paid to the affected consumers,” he said.