FIRST QUARTER OF 2023 WORST FOR PETROLEUM TANKERS
By Lukundo Nankamba
The Petroleum Tankers Association Of Zambia -PTAZ- says the first quarter of 2023 compared to last year has been the worst as most policies did not seem to favour local transporters despite the government making several pronouncements on the improvement of the fuel transport sector.
In an interview with Phoenix News, Association Secretary General Benson Tembo says this is because Zambia has a lot of foreign truckers involved in the transportation of imported fuel who have overtaken local businesses.
Mr Tembo says as the government is trying to protect the interest of locals, it is necessary that in the second quarter, the ministry of energy should actualize policies that benefit locals to improve the performance of local fuel transporters.
He hopes the government’s policy to configure the Tazama pipeline to transport low sulphur fuel and kerosene from Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to Ndola will not further stifle local transporters as the pipeline begins operating in the second quarter.
Mr Tembo however notes that despite the first quarter performing poorly, members have made significant strides from having previously owned 50 tankers to now owning 1,300 tankers.
PHOENIX NEWS