MANILA, Philippines — With the 117-kilometer Batangas-Manila fuel pipeline still closed, Pilipinas Shell, one of its users, said that it expects fuel shortage in its retail stations to persist for “a number of weeks.” “Supply of petroleum products to Pandacan is expected to normalize before the end of this week as a result of various contingency measures growundertaken by Pilipinas Shell… in response to the… pipeline shutdown,” company spokesperson Bobby Kanapi said in a statement.
“However, run-outs in gasoline stations and customers are expected to continue for a number of weeks as there is a backlog of deliveries,” Kanapi said.
The pipeline, owned by First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC), is used to carry fuel products from the Batangas port to the Pandacan oil depot in Manila. A leak in the pipeline prompted the Makati City government to order its shut down last October 28 as it was determined to be the source of the oil seepage at West Tower condominium in Barangay Bangkal.
Kanapi said they cannot sustain their contingency operations amid an extended closure of the pipeline since the trucks, barges, and other facilities they have been using to transport fuel to Metro Manila are intended for other areas, particularly outside the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Even other areas outside Metro Manila can be impacted by next week if these resources are not brought back for use,” the spokesman said.
The metropolis is already feeling the pinch of pipeline shutdown: Kanapi said at least half of Shell’s 180 stations in Metro Manila have been experiencing product shortage. At least 30 of the stations have shut down as of Thursday, he said.
Kanapi said that the “business continuity plan” that Shell imposed following the pipeline closure was good for four to five days.
"A continued shutdown of the pipeline is unsustainable. We have always maintained that the pipeline is still the safest, most reliable, and efficient mode of transportation for petroleum products.
‘It is extremely urgent and critical for it to resume operations in order to ensure continuity of supply to the market,” Kanapi said, adding that it has now become a serious issue.
It is up to the Makati City government to order the reopening of the FPIC pipeline, which is the largest commercial oil pipeline in the country.
The pipeline supplies over 50 percent of the petroleum products for Pandacan, the largest and most important depot in the country. This accounts for 50 percent of the country’s total demand for fuels, including around 1,800 retail stations for Regions 1-4 and 459 stations in Metro Manila.
Ellson Quismorio, Manila Bulletin
