As Mexican motorists in several regions struggle to find gas stations able to fill up their tanks, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that the problem is distribution, not supply.
“There is not a shortage; we have gasoline,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference. “The issue is with transportation and we are resolving it.”
The newspaper El Financiero reported that station owners in Mexico City, México state, the northern state of Nuevo León and the southern state of Chiapas have reported supply issues.
The state-owned oil company Pemex admitted that it was experiencing a shortage of tanker trucks, in part due to maintenance issues that have sidelined a number of delivery vehicles.
“Some of the deliveries were still being managed by the Defense Ministry and responsibility is being transferred to Pemex,” Sheinbaum said, adding that contracts with additional transport companies were still being finalized.
Retailers affiliated with Onexpo, the national confederation of gas station owners, told El Financiero that there appeared to be sufficient quantities of gas at Pemex’s storage and distribution terminals.
Onexpo vice president Fernando González described the logistical issues as “a temporary irregularity in delivery procedures.” He also said that roughly 5% of stations in the Valley of Mexico — comprising the greater Mexico City metropolitan area, México state and part of the state of Hidalgo — have been affected.
El Financiero said at least 42 stations in the industrial state of Nuevo León were without gasoline — about 5.6% of the total — and 27 stations in Chiapas are experiencing the same fate. More than 40 stations in the southern state had reported supply issues at the beginning of the week.
Residents of Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo León, complained about the inconvenience, with several posting on social media that at least five stations were closed — one for more than a week. The closures were forcing them to adjust routines — and use more gas — while looking for alternatives.
The situation in Chiapas was complicated by the midweek takeover of a distribution terminal by retired Pemex workers who complained that the company had money to buy more tanker trucks, but had failed to fulfill a promise to provide health care services to the retirees.
In a Thursday statement posted on social media, Pemex said it had taken steps to reinforce its delivery capabilities in the Valley of Mexico, while guaranteeing “a safe, efficient and continuous supply for customers.”
With reports from Proceso, Milenio and El Financiero
