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The Liquid Fuels Wholesalers Association of South Africa has asked the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources to exempt the Nelson Mandela Bay region from lower fuel prices in September, because they are still unable to bring fuel tankers into the Port of Port Elizabeth following an accident in June.
According to the Daily Maverick, CEO, Peter Morgan said a fuel tanker was piloted into harbour during huge swells and it crashed into a crucial bunker normally used to transfer fuel to tanker trucks for distribution to petrol stations.
He said with this bunker rendered out of commission, liquid fuels wholesalers had to fetch petrol and diesel from the East London Harbour.
Morgan said they had been bringing in 88 million litres of petrol and diesel every month by road from East London, adding that that this was a 600 km trip, and that fuel wholesalers had to buy extra tanker trucks to do this.
He confirmed that his organisation has applied to exempt the Nelson Mandela Bay region and its surrounding towns (the pricing for petrol works in zones) from a projected huge drop in petrol and diesel prices expected in September.
The Automobile Association announced on Friday that, based on unaudited mid-month data from the Central Energy Fund, fuel prices in South Africa will likely drop for a fourth consecutive month.
According to the AA, petrol and diesel will cost less in September than at any other time this year. Current data indicates that 95 octane petrol may decrease by around 68 cents per litre, and 93 octane petrol will cost 63 cents per litre less. The diesel price will drop by around 52 cents per litre.
But not for Nelson Mandela Bay and its surrounding towns if the Liquid Wholesalers’ Association gets its way.
"Our problem is that there is nowhere we can pass on these huge extra transport costs," Morgan said.
Pamela Yoyo, the port manager for the two Nelson Mandela Bay ports, said an accident at the Port Elizabeth harbour in June 2024 damaged the dolphin structures on the tanker berth, rendering it out of commission.
"A service provider was appointed to conduct preliminary studies to determine the extent of the damage to the infrastructure and the cost of reinstating the berth," Yoyo explained.
These included a vessel hull survey and diving inspection, a bathymetric survey (sonar and multibeam), a condition assessment of infrastructure, and a berthing capability assessment.
But despite the urgency of the situation, Transnet is now still in the process of appointing a service provider to design and construct the berth. Yoyo said this process will only conclude at the end of September.
She said the damage would likely only be fixed by January.
The Department of Minerals and Petroleum Resources has yet to respond to requests for answers and comments.
- Daily Maverick (Estelle Ellis)
