The Shell Petroleum Company said industry members held a crisis meeting on Saturday afternoon to address jet-fuel and petrol shortages.
The company said it hoped to stabilise the situation by lunchtime on Sunday.
Colin McClelland, director of the South African Petroleum Industry Association, said the fuel shortages had disrupted flights at Cape Town International airport on Friday night and Saturday.
”We are hoping the situation will improve on Sunday. There have been lots of disruptions at the airport. Only flights coming from other cities that did not have to take fuel at Cape Town have been able to fly,” said McClelland.
”We believe that the Chevron refinery has products that could be used, so we are hoping the problem is sorted out soon.”
McClelland added that problems with the availability of petrol and diesel were also being experienced throughout the country.
This was because new plants were being brought into production for cleaner fuels to be sold next year and the refining industry was finding it difficult to meet the demand for petroleum products.
”We will make sure that national road-service stations will have petrol over the festive season so that people going on holiday won’t get stuck.
”However, motorists in Cape Town and Johannesburg may find that there may be no petrol at some filling stations. People should not drive their cars until the tank is empty. If you are passing a filling station that has petrol, stop and fill up,” he warned.
He said the problems arose as a result of the new equipment that petrol companies must now use.
”Petrol companies were still trying to adjust to the new equipment and it may take some time before it will be operating smoothly again,” said McClelland.
”It may also take a few weeks before every service station has petrol. We can’t say at this stage if there will be further problems.”
He added that fuel will be imported from overseas wherever necessary.
From next year, there will be no more lead in petrol and a significant reduction of the level of sulphur in diesel.
”The process of preparing to produce the cleaner fuel has involved construction of new equipment totalling some R10-billion,” McClelland said earlier this week. — Sapa