Fresh fuel fears
Petrojam employee, mechanics reveal renewed ‘bad gas’ concerns
DESPITE DENIALS from Petrojam that its supplies are compromised, a source who has intimate knowledge of operational deficiencies at Jamaica’s sole oil refinery has explained the source of the smelly gas, and is warning that it undermines vehicle performance and threatens longterm damage.
The employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of disciplinary action, said the country could be on the verge of another bad-gas saga.
“On the (Petrojam) compound, it has been making some people nauseous. Some people who have sinus problems, it has been affecting them because we are right in the middle of it,” the employee said.
“It has been affecting the performance of cars. You start to experience your gas mileage suddenly going haywire, using more gas than usual. Your car will feel sluggish,” the employee told The Sunday Gleaner.
“It’s potentially damaging, but computer-controlled cars will protect themselves. Some cars will show ‘check lights’. You will feel it in the performance of the car. Even my car has no power; it’s dumping gas. I went to a mechanic to do some work in January and he recommended that I throw octane booster in the car when filling up,” said the employee.
MAJOR ISSUES WITH CARS
Yesterday, Lisa Bowman Lee, renowned race car driver and auto mechanic, said she, too, was aware of concerns around fuel now on the market.
“Most certainly, there is a problem with the fuel at the moment,” Bowman Lee told The Sunday Gleaner.
“It’s been going on now for quite a little while. Couple of persons have said that shortly after purchasing fuel they have major issues with the car and it just got engine damage. It’s a matter of just proving it and taking it in, but I myself have experienced it with my car as well.”
Last week, however, the Bureau of Standards Jamaica told The Sunday
Gleaner that, as a regular practice, it tests all products from Petrojam and has not found any reason for concern.
But the Petrojam source said that the nub of the problem begun just over two months ago.
“In December, everyone comes to work one morning and there’s this strong odour, the entire compound had this odour . ... Days went by and the smell was still there, and then people started to asked questions. On the (Petrojam) compound, it has been making some people nauseous. Some people who have sinus problems, it has been affecting them because we are right in the middle of it,” the source added.
The source explained that the catalyst, equipment used in the refining of petroleum, is now malfunctioning, despite being brand new and having only been installed last year.
“The new catalyst is supposed to give you 18 months continuous [service] before you need to regenerate it. That was middle of last year. Bad decisions, inexperience, and a combination of some other factors