Staff Reporter
THE Namibian Prime Minister, Dr Elijah Ngurare, has said that the Namibian government has put together a task team to deal with an impending crisis in the petroleum sector, with the country said to only have three months of fuel left amidst the ongoing war in a major oil-producing country, Iran.
It is reported that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major oil shipping routes, have been affected by the war, with Namibia having fuel supply reserves that offer a short-term buffer amidst growing geopolitical tensions.
The prime minister was queried on whether they have put up a task force to ensure the consistent supply of petroleum products. In response, the Prime Minister, Dr Ngurare, said, “You are correct to make reference to what was briefed by the line minister in terms of the security of supply; we only have enough left for the next few months. We have put into force a team. Her Excellency has moved fast to ensure that we convene and deliberate on different options to ensure that we are not negatively affected with regard to fuel supply. It is a geopolitical conundrum that all countries are in. Government is seized with the matter, and in good time we will reveal what options we are looking at.”
Ngurare stated that it is helpful to relay messages like this to put people at ease in terms of the supply chain.
“We need to be responsible; we cannot take anything for granted, taking into consideration the volatile situation,” Dr Ngurare said.
The said shocks to the petroleum sector, which are expected to raise fuel prices, have, however, not yet hit Namibia as the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy announced that fuel pump prices would remain unchanged for March.
At the coast, petrol remains at N$19.58 per litre, diesel 50 ppm at N$19.63 per litre, and diesel 10 ppm at N$19.73 per litre. Dealer margins were, however, increased by two cents to N$2.38 per litre from 4 March.
Photo: NBC Digital News
