A vessel carrying gas oil has anchored at Port Qasim as Pakistan continues to receive shipments of petroleum products to maintain fuel supplies across the country, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the tanker MT Torum Damini has docked at the FOTCO terminal at Port Qasim. In addition, two more ships loaded with petrol are scheduled to arrive at the port today and tomorrow.
The tanker MT Nave Atropos reached Port Qasim on the night of March 9, carrying around 50,000 metric tonnes of petrol.
Another vessel, MT Spross 2, is expected to arrive on March 10 at approximately 8:30pm with about 55,000 metric tonnes of petrol.
Similarly, MT Sea Clipper is scheduled to reach Port Qasim on March 11 at around 12pm, carrying nearly 34,000 metric tonnes of petrol.
A spokesperson for the Port Qasim Authority said one vessel arriving from Fujairah has already reached the port, while another ship has departed from Oman.
Information regarding two additional vessels will be released later, the spokesperson added, noting that more ships carrying petrol are expected to arrive to ensure a steady fuel supply.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Finance said a high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to review the country’s petroleum reserves and supply situation.
The officials briefed the meeting that Pakistan’s petroleum product reserves are currently at a satisfactory level and the supply chain across the country is functioning normally.
The ministry said several cargoes carrying petroleum products are already on their way to Pakistan, which will further strengthen fuel supplies in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, addressing the nation yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that fuel prices in Pakistan could rise again due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global oil supplies.
PM Shehbaz noted that international oil prices recently surged from around $60 per barrel to nearly $100 per barrel and cautioned that the situation could worsen further.
However, global crude prices saw a sharp decline within a single day after reports emerged that the Group of Seven (G7) was discussing measures to stabilise oil supplies.
US crude oil, which had earlier reached a high of $119 per barrel, fell by $5.85 to $85.10 per barrel, while London Brent crude dropped by $4.40 to $88.69 per barrel after touching the $119 level.
Reporter: Ashraf Khan