Petrol pumps on restricted supplies until the boat comes in 1/10/12
Fears of a fresh shortage of fuel in the Western Isles has resulted in contingency measures at the islands’ main oil depot.
Only priority orders are being fulfilled until Thursday at least as stocks are running low at the Scottish Fuels terminal in Stornoway.
It is understood a sea tanker full of heating oil, petrol and diesel is on voyage from a refinery at Immingham to the north of Scotland.
However, she is not scheduled to dock at Stornoway until Wednesday at the earliest.
Soon after arrival, she will pump oil products into the pipeline at Number Three pier in Stornoway harbour which will replenish the depot’s huge storage tanks.
Until then Scottish Fuels customers can expect to be asked to accept a reduced order.
If customers have sufficient supplies to tide them over until the end of the week they may be requested to take a delayed delivery.
The “shortage” is affecting the wholesale distribution and should not hit the public unless the coastal tanker is delayed. There is sufficient fuel stored to meet the islands needs until the end of the week.
A spokeswoman for GB Oils, the parent company of Scottish Fuels, stressed the depot was focusing on honouring urgent orders for the coming days but had sufficient fuel and had not run out.
She said: “In the short-
One island retailer station desperately hoping to get a full order today (tues) is the Back Filling Station which ran out of diesel after a mad rush of motorists when it slashed its forecourt prices.
Customers are saving about a 6% difference compared to Stornoway prices which works out about 41 pence per gallon.
Due to massive demand the rural filling station ran out of diesel today and is hoping for a delivery tomorrow.
Though the pumps, a few miles outside Stornoway, has ditched Scottish Fuels as its supplier, its new wholesaler still takes oil from the same depot.
The stored fuel is not owned by Scottish Fuels but by refinery company Phillips 66,
the new name for the spin-
The restrictions appear to be brought in to avoid a repeat of the fuel shortages which affected the Uists for a number of weeks recently.
That problem was caused by Scottish Fuels, which hold a monopoly in the southern islands in the Western Isles, failing to deliver full orders to filling stations.
Motorists were being turned away when the forecourt pumps ran dry. The problem was particularly acute for diesel which is a big seller on the islands but it also affected petrol and heating oil supplies.
Relief supplies were temporarily ferried in by a road tanker from Stornowa while the Lochcarnan depot which normally supplies the Southern Isles was out of action.
It is understood ultrasonic tests showed the tank shell metal work was weakened and thinner than the standard required. The storage tanks needed major repairs and had to have corroded steelwork replaced after an important inspection was carried out.