Mozambique: No danger of fuel shortage, claims government – AIM report

The Mozambican authorities have assured the public that, despite the US/Israeli aggression against Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Mozambique is in no imminent danger of running out of liquid fuels. This assurance followed panic buying on Friday and Saturday morning at petrol stations in Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola. Long queues of vehicles built up at the pumps, and some of the petrol stations sold out of their stocks.

The National Directorate of Hydrocarbons and Fuel tried to calm the situation, guaranteeing that there is no genuine shortage of fuel. The Friday panic arose from a report that the operational reserves of fuel in the country will only last for 12 days. This may well have been true on the day it was reported, 24 March, but the Directorate said that the fuel stations are being resupplied normally.

The fuel supply contract is valid until May 2027, and the Directorate was sure this would ensure continuity of supplies. While it is true that most of the fuel imported by Mozambique passes through the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of the Strait does not affect oil tankers already on the high seas, en route to Mozambican ports. The directorate said that new deliveries of fuel should arrive in the port of Maputo on 30 March.

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These deliveries will provide a further 26 days’ supply of petrol and 17 days of diesel. More tankers are due to arrive in April. The National Directorate urged the public to remain calm and not to hoard fuel.

The Mozambican Association of Fuel Companies (Amepetrol) agreed and said there was no imminent risk of the country running out of fuel. It issued a statement on Friday claiming that the situation is under control, and urging motorists to avoid behaviour that might put the supply chain under pressure. Amepetrol said there is fuel available at the oceanic terminals in the major ports. Usually, these terminals are closed over the weekend, but exceptionally they were allowed to open on Saturday to speed up the dispatch of fuel to the retail market, and to reduce pressure on the petrol stations.

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