The Ministry of Mines and Energy has defended its three-month fuel supply deal with Vitol, saying it can’t be blamed for the jet fuel shortage that has affected the country since last week.
Last Monday, a consignment of jet A-1 fuel did not pass routine inspection at Walvis Bay.
This has led Lufthansa Cargo to temporarily suspend flights and Discover Airlines to divert flights to Luanda to refuel.
“The present jet A-1 supply challenge is a quality and supply matter arising from a commercial arrangement between two oil marketing companies, separate from the government-directed petrol and diesel supply arrangement,” energy minister Modestus Amutse says in a statement released on Monday.
He says Puma had lent Vivo jet fuel, with the shipment intended to repay Puma.
However, when the fuel failed to pass inspection, it could not be distributed and therefore caused supply issues.
The next shipment of jet fuel is expected on Saturday.
The minister says the supply interruption, however, is not related to the three-month supply agreement between the government and Vitol, Vivo’s parent company.
“The government-directed fuel supply arrangement with Vitol was implemented as a targeted and temporary intervention to secure the continuity and affordability of petrol and diesel supply. By its terms, it applies to petrol and diesel only,” Amutse says.
Jet A-1 fuel is not governed by the deal and therefore the supply shortage is due to commercial supply issues rather than the government’s fuel directive, he says.
Amutse says he is considering including jet 1-A fuel in the regulatory and supply security framework.
“The ministry has a responsibility to ensure that the country’s aviation fuel supply chain is sufficiently resilient to withstand unforeseen disruptions,” he says.
The minister says investigations into the low-quality fuel are ongoing and the government will only assign responsibility for the incident after those investigations are complete.
The Independent Patriots for Change’s shadow transport minister says the fuel disruption has exposed the weaknesses of the fuel aviation sector.
“The effect of the supply deficit poses an unacceptable single point of failure risk that has a negative effect on Namibia’s economy and development,” Nelson Kalangula says in a statement released on Monday.
Namibia’s reputation in the aviation industry could be damaged, he says.
Kalangula calls for the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority to conduct audits on fuel levels and for the establishment of strategic fuel reserves.
“There is [also] a need to re-evaluate the target for the planned Namibia Air Airline, the ambition to launch a new national airline by December 2026 cannot take precedence over basic operational security.
“Introducing a state carrier into an environment that struggles with basic fuel security puts public capital and national reputation at risk,” Kalangula says.
