Tainted gasoline creates concern
Tainted gasoline creates concern
JAKARTA (JP): The chief of the Jakarta chapter of the National
Association of Oil and Gas Businessmen, A.S. Siregar, has asked
police to crack down on places selling adulterated gasoline.
"We are hoping that the authorities can eliminate the selling
of adulterated gasoline to break the link of either the
production or the distribution of it," Siregar said.
Antara news agency reported on Thursday that the dilution of
gasoline with kerosene probably happened shortly after the fuel
truck left the depot of the state-owned oil company Pertamina at
Plumpang, North Jakarta.
"Some people have managed to bribe the fuel truck drivers into
drawing off some of the fuel. Then those people blend it with
kerosene," Siregar said.
Regardless of the strict action taken by Pertamina to punish
such drivers, there are still some drivers who are tempted to
adulterate the gasoline in order to make some additional money.
Siregar swore that none of the members of his association were
involved in the sale of adulterated gasoline.
Siregar also said that sharp difference is prices between
diesel fuel and regular gasoline makes illegal blending more
rampant.
In October, the city police arrested a married couple for
alleged involvement in the distribution of adulterated diesel
oil.
The couple were suspected to have drawn off 2,000 liters of
diesel fuel from a tanker truck carrying 8,000 liters of diesel
fuel. They then replaced the diesel fuel with lubricating oil and
kerosene.
Last year, a joint team of Pertamina and some powerful
watchdog government agencies made on-site inspections to monitor
the quality of fuel and lubricating oil sold at local outlets.
Illegal processing and marketing of used lubricants has
seriously affected the legal producers, including Pertamina.
Lubricant output in Indonesia dropped from 340,785 tons in
1987 to 261,281 tons in 1988. After a massive police raid in
1989, the state-owned oil company recorded a slight increase to
289,630 tons. (mas)