Low quality petroleum products cause concern

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Market Surveillance of Quang Ninh province disseminates regulations to petrol stations. Photo: Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance.

Inspecting 16,800 petrol stations

According to the Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance, from January 28, the Market Surveillance force has inspected 16,800 of 17,000 petrol stations across the country. The force has withdrawn operating licenses of many petrol stations in the Southwestern region. Up to 241 stations have suspended operations, and were mainly located in the southern region, causing a shortage of petroleum products.

The market surveillance has inspected and strictly handled stations that have not sold 24/7 and suspended operation before the peak period for adjusting the price.

The Department of Market Surveillance in Hanoi inspected and supervised 493 retail petrol stations and has not yet discovered any violations related to the petroleum trade.

Also in Nghe An Province, the local Department of Market Surveillance has controlled all retail petrol stations, including 16 stations with invalid operating certificates waiting for re-granting and other stations that still operate as usual, meeting local demand.

In the southern provinces, there are 6,534 retail stations, of which 29 have been suspended due to running out of petrol, and 215 stations due to other reasons.

For example, the force inspected 548 HCM City-based stations and detected that five retail stations have suspended operations, 22 retail stations lacking Ron 95 gasoline but still operating and waiting to import gasoline for trading.

According to the Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance, the suspension of operation and illegal hoarding of oil and petrol depends on the business sense of retail gas stations.

Many stations have suspended operations due to the pandemic and to outsmart the detection of competent agencies.

Preventing low-quality petroleum products

In the last two years, competent agencies such as the Police, Border Guard, Coast Guard and Market Surveillance have detected many petroleum smuggling rings and mixing of petroleum products in the domestic market. Recently, the Police seized 200 million liters of fake petroleum in Dong Nai.

According to the Director General of Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance Tran Huu Linh, the force identified gasoline as a key commodity in the inspection, control and handling of violations. Violations on petroleum quality have widely taken place due to the mixing of gasoline in the domestic market leading to low-quality gasoline.

“Facing this situation, a strict inspection and management coordination system should be issued. The prevention of petroleum smuggling should be controlled closely at the border. In the domestic market, the market surveillance needs to coordinate with specialized inspection forces to take samples and check petrol stations to detect low-quality products,” said Linh.

In order to control and stabilize the market as well as protect the interests of people and businesses, the Director General said the market surveillance force nationwide continues to strictly follow instructions from the Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, especially the urgent dispatches related to the stability of gasoline prices to combat trade fraud.

In addition, the force monitors and supervises offenses via a hotline. In addition, the forces review petrol and oil retail stations that have temporarily suspended operations to verify and investigate; strengthens random inspection, and applies additional sanctions for deterrence.

At the same time, focus on suggesting people save petroleum, and provide information to support the force in checking, controlling and detecting violations.