UK deploys a reserve fleet of tankers to help ease the fuel crisis

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The UK has deployed its fleet of spare tankers to help mitigate the fuel crisis as more forward ports reopen across the country in a sign that the panic may be easing.

Business Minister Kwasi Quarting announced that a group of 80 government-owned tankers will be on the roads Wednesday afternoon to boost deliveries of fuel to petrol stations across the country. He said the trucks are being driven by civilians and will provide additional logistical capacity for the fuel industry.

The announcement came as the Petroleum Retailers Association, which represents independent retailers that make up about two-thirds of the UK’s 8,000 petrol stations, said nearly 27 per cent of its member locations ran out of fuel on Wednesday. Compared to 37 percent on Tuesday, and an estimated 50 to 90 percent on Sunday and Monday.

“There are encouraging signs that the crisis at the pumps is abating,” said Gordon Palmer, CEO of PRA.

Fuel retailers and suppliers – including BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Hoyer Petrolog – said they met with Kwarteng on Wednesday and welcomed the deployment of the state tanker fleet.

“We remain confident that the situation will stabilize further in the coming days and encourage everyone to fill the void as they usually do to help the front courts return to normal,” the group said in a joint statement.

The government is under mounting pressure to control the crisis, which began with a limited disruption of fuel deliveries to petrol stations last week due to a shortage of drivers for heavy goods vehicles. This was followed by panic buying that led to a drain on supplies at the weekend and chaotic scenes on the front courts as motorists raced to refill their cars.

Palmer said the Public Relations Department had received reports that gas station employees had been subjected to “completely unacceptable” verbal and physical abuse from customers over the past week. “Forecourts are trying their best to manage queues and make sure there is plenty of fuel to go around.”

The state tanker fleet is a pool available to private companies for charter, and is stored in warehouses in West Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire. Government insiders said the fleet had not been launched before now due to “driver availability issues” among carriers, as the industry is usually expected to provide vehicle drivers from the existing workforce.

Those with knowledge of the situation said the industry requested the use of the reserve fleet after telling ministers they had more drivers than tankers, after adjusting shift patterns,

Ministers said they will issue temporary visas to 5,000 foreign heavy truck drivers to help tackle a labor shortage in the logistics industry that has led to fuel problems, but that the policy will take time to have an impact.

Meanwhile, the government is still equipping 150 army drivers to help transport fuel across the country. A British government official said training to drive petrol tankers began on Tuesday and staff “will be ready to deploy this week when required”.

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However, Kwarteng also said the situation appears to be improving, with indications that more gas stations are receiving more fuel. “The sooner we return to our normal purchasing habits, the sooner the situation will return to normal.”

Despite his reassurances, Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said its members had seen “no real real change”. He said the association estimated that between 20 and 25 percent of its members were still unable to work on Wednesday because they could not get fuel.

“Most places still lack fuel, and if you find one with it, you’re on the waiting list for a long period of time,” he added.

McNamara advocated introducing a basic user list as it did in 2000, arguing that this would “remove the momentum from the problem”.

He added, “At the moment, this government does not seem to have a plan other than to sit there and say ‘don’t panic’.”

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