TTBS: Regime coming to monitor fuel along supply chain

TT Bureau of Standards (TTBS) chairman Lawford Dupres says the TTBS is in discussions with Paria Fuel Trading about setting up a testing regime.

"(This) protocol will take us from the ship that is coming in with the fuel to the pump. So we can establish for our own satisfaction that the standards are in fact being met all along the supply chain."

He was speaking Monday during a media conference held at the TTBS offices in Tunapuna in response to concerns from members of the public the imported fuel was burning out faster than the previous locally-produced fuel by the now defunct Petrotrin.

Dupres said: "It is hard to understand how people could have made those reports because we haven't seen any evidence of variations based on the test results that we've seen. Why I know from my own experience is that things do happen along that supply chain from time to time."

He explained with this regime samples will be taken from cargo coming in, from tanks at Unipet and NP wagons as well as random samples at the pump. He said the plan is to send the samples to an accredited, independent laboratory of the TTBS' choice and the protocol was being developed. Dupres also pointed out the fuel cargoes were being purchased from the US Gulf Coast and this "big refinery" would not make a "special batch" just for Trinidad.

"So what we buying is what they selling up there."

He also dismissed claims the fuel was causing cars to catch fire as that had nothing to do with the quality of fuel but was more likely a leak of fuel.

"At this point in time we have no reason to believe the gasolines are not conforming to standards. But we will back that up with a sampling regime."