Syriaupdated 1h ago3 min read
Syria Energy Ministry Says Operational Error Mixed Nonconforming Gasoline, Promises Compensation
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Operational error caused nonconforming gasoline to enter local market. Ministry says affected citizens will be compensated; SPC tasked with compensation, and legal action.
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Operational error explained
The Syrian Ministry of Energy said its technical committee, tasked by Energy Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir, "completed its work and submitted its final report" on the gasoline problem. The ministry stated that the investigation results showed "the existence of a shipment of gasoline that did not meet the standard and technical specifications" and that the shipment had already been unloaded in the company’s storage facilities. The ministry added that the company decided to "re-export it to its source due to non-compliance with specifications" but that "during the process of re-export" an operational error occurred that caused the non-compliant gasoline to mix with gasoline that complies with specifications.
The ministry said the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) was tasked with establishing a mechanism to compensate affected citizens and announcing its details, with compensation to be implemented in successive stages. The ministry also affirmed that "the necessary legal actions will be taken against all those responsible for the error and negligence" and that it would address shortcomings in the operating and supervisory system to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.
Controversy over details
الحل نت said the Energy Ministry statement sparked controversy after it admitted that gasoline not conforming to specifications had reached the markets, resulting from an "operational error" that damaged citizens’ vehicles. Lawyer al-Mu’tasim al-Kilanī posted on social media that the phrase "operational error" does not provide a sufficient explanation for the incident, calling for disclosure of the nature of the fault, the quantities that reached the market, and the stations that received them. Jorj Khazam questioned how large quantities of gasoline not conforming to specifications could mix with regular gasoline, and he asked what additional losses resulted from damaged compliant fuel.
The Syrian Ministry of Energy announced commissioning the Syrian Petroleum Company to establish a mechanism to compensate car owners affected, while the ministry did not specify a start date for disbursement or criteria for assessing damages. الحل نت reported that the current wave of complaints dates back to the first days of October, when drivers in several Syrian governorates reported sudden malfunctions after fueling their cars with gasoline.
Costs, testing, and shortages
Syria Now documented complaints from car owners and maintenance shop workers focused on red, viscous gasoline containing impurities, whose color resembles diesel, and the complaints described sticky resinous material raising engine temperature. A workshop owner told a Syria Now correspondent that the poor gasoline contains a sticky resinous substance that raises engine temperature, causing damage to valves, injectors, and fuel pumps and eventually complete engine failure. A mechanic confirmed to the correspondent that repair costs are high, ranging from $300 to $700, depending on whether the car can be repaired, while another affected citizen said the cost of repairing the car can reach $900.
SADCO said it was following up on complaints and circulating video clips about the quality of the gasoline, and it took samples from different stages of the supply chain, from the source to the filling stations. Syria Now reported that several Syrian provinces experienced a shortage of fuels as fuel deliveries and diesel deliveries to a number of fueling stations declined, with Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama suffering from a shortage of diesel and gasoline and some stations closed.