Namibia looking for alternative sources of fuel

NAMIBIA was looking for alternative suppliers of fuels because it could no longer rely on South Africa, Harald Schmidt, the secretary of the Namibian Oil Industry Association, told Success magazine.

The Namibian Oil Industry Association comprises major fuel companies Engen, Caltex, BP and Shell, as well as the energy parastatal, the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor). Schmidt said Namibian petrol shortages late last year, caused by the shutdown of refineries in South Africa, had prompted the rethink.The shutdown of the oil refineries to prepare for the change from leaded to unleaded petrol had left many Namibian motorists stranded.However, Schmidt acknowledged that it now took only three days to ship fuel from South Africa, which meant that Namibia did not have to build huge and expensive storage tanks.- Mercury Foreign ServiceSchmidt said Namibian petrol shortages late last year, caused by the shutdown of refineries in South Africa, had prompted the rethink.The shutdown of the oil refineries to prepare for the change from leaded to unleaded petrol had left many Namibian motorists stranded.However, Schmidt acknowledged that it now took only three days to ship fuel from South Africa, which meant that Namibia did not have to build huge and expensive storage tanks.- Mercury Foreign Service