Malawi is currently experiencing a shortage of petrol, diesel and paraffin at its fuel pumps due to technical problems at the Ports of Beira in Mozambique and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, an official said Friday.
Acting Executive Director for Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) Alexander Saiwa said in Lilongwe that despite having enough supplies at the ports, the country has not been able to meet its daily loading plans because of congestion at the port which has come due to an increase in demand in the region.
“Congestion at Beira, Dar es Salaam and Nacala ports has negatively affected the supply of fuel in our country but we believe that the situation will soon be normalized,” he said.
He said the authority was directly engaging management teams at the ports to urgently deal with the issue so that the country could start to receive the supplies during this weekend.
In addition, he said, the body through the appropriate government departments and ministries, was aggressively negotiating with the Mozambican and Tanzanian counterparts to ensure smooth handling and movement of fuel from the ports into Malawi.
He therefore advised the general public not to panic as necessary measures are being taken to normalize the situation.
Source African Press Agency
