Haulage of fuel from the ports of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Nacala and Beira in Mozambique is facing glitches, resulting in resurfacing of fuel shortage in the country.
In Mozambique, the problem is attributed to the on-going post-election protests while in Tanzania, the Transporters Association of Malawi says the matter stems from delays in issuance of clearance by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).
Currently, long queues of motorists are prevalent across the country; as they struggle to find fuel, especially diesel.
In an inter view, the association’s spokesperson Frank Banda confirmed the glitches, but hoped the situation would normalise by next week.
He said: “The situation is partly because the TRA holds papers for loaded trucks and any slight disturbance on logistics results in delays in transportation.
“This resulted in the crisis we find ourselves in. Government intervened to help deal with the situation. So, we expect that the situation may improve next week.”
Banda said the matter affected about 80 trucks which were loaded two weeks ago.
On the Mozambican side, transporters are afraid of sending their vehicles there because of the ongoing political unrest.
Said Banda: “It’s worse in Mozambique because transporters are afraid of sending tankers there. We had some vehicles from Nacala, they are back with about three million litres. Nocma [National Oil Company of Malawi] has issued releases for vehicles to go and load the fuel in Mozambique, but with the protests, transporters are afraid.
“So, for now, we have to rely on Tanzania, where we also have the challenges with the TRA. It’s a slow and frustrating process.”
Petroleum Retailers Association of Malawi chairperson Happy Jere said the situation remains hopeless.
“You can imagine that all the vehicles we need have to be serviced by fuel from one route [Tanzania]. That fuel has to be shared across the country and the Northern route doesn’t bring in much. We don’t expect that the situation can normalise instantly,” he said.
Nocma spokesperson Raymond Likambale said pursuant to 2004 energy laws, any challenge that importers face with regards to fuel is being reported to Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera).
Mera spokesperson Fitina Khonje said she was on holiday, but referred us to consumer affairs officer Vitumbiko Sakala to provide an update on the fuel situation.
Sakala was yet to respond to our questionnaire by press time at 6pm yesterday despite several reminders.
Currently, 70 percent of fuel imports come through Mozambique’s ports with Beira processing 50 percent and Nacala facilitating 20 percent while the remaining 30 percent is hauled through the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
According to Nocma data, Malawi uses 1.05 million litres each for diesel and petrol per day.
The country spends $600 million (about K1 trillion) on fuel importation per year, according to the Reserve Bank of Malawi.
Source: The nation- Joseph Mwale-Mzuzu bureau supervisor-26 December 2024