Companies

KPC warns oil dealers as it beefs up jet fuel stocks

jkia

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) has beefed up fuel stocks at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) following a supply crisis last week.

KPC acting managing director Hudson Andambi says marketers have procured more stocks that are currently in supply, with more expected to be delivered at the end of the month.

The 115 million litres of Jet A-1 that have been delivered at JKIA are sufficient to last the next 11 days, says KPC.

“As of today, we have 26.2 million litres in the KPC Embakasi depot at JKIA. We will receive an additional 32 million litres at the same depot in the next six days as we move to spruce up our stocks,” Mr Andambi said in a statement.

“To ensure a steady supply of jet fuel in the days to come, we expect another vessel to deliver an additional 103 million litres of aviation fuel in the port of Mombasa on March 28,” he added. Mr Andambi asked oil dealers to ensure that such a crisis does recur by ordering enough stocks.

KPC last week blamed the shortage on oil firms who ordered less fuel against a high demand, hence creating the deficit. The marketers, who sell directly to airlines, shipped in 37,000 tonnes of fuel in January despite a request of 60,000.

With a daily consumption rate of about 2.5 million litres, KPC’s JKIA depot has a total capacity of 54 million litres, making it the largest aviation oil depot in the region.

Last week, airlines operating from JKIA diverted to regional airports for fuelling as stocks of the commodity neared depletion.

“We issued notice to airlines and they are aware of the jet fuel shortage that we are facing,” said Mr Gilbert Kibe, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director-General on Thursday last week. The shortage saw airlines at the facility allocated quotas to avoid a crisis at the airport with all non-scheduled airlines stopped from making a technical stopover at JKIA for refuelling.

A number of airlines destined for other regions usually make short layovers at the airport to fuel.