‘LOCAL TANKERS CAPABLE OF MOVING 50PC FUEL’

By PETER SICHALI LOCAL petroleum transporters have capacity to move more than 50 percent of imported fuel, Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) spokesperson Benson Tembo has said.  Mr Tembo said the local fuel transporter sector has grown over the past few years and has enough capacity to deliver. He was comenting on assertions by an energy expert, Mr Johnson Chikwanda that the decision to implement the policy that allows local transporters to move 50 percent volume of imported fuel should be treated with caution, Mr Tembo said the local petroleum transport sector currently has about 980 tankers that have been doing cross border haulage of fuel. He said contrary to Mr Chikwanda’s assertion, Zambian transporters have both capacity and expertise to transport all the imported fuel. Mr Tembo said it was unfortunate that Mr Chikwanda doubts the capacity of local transporters by suggesting that the policy should not be rushed.  Mr Tembo said the policy was enacted in 2017 and that it was unfortunate it had previously not received the desired support from some sectors. “The Zambian transporters today have capacity, we have about 980 tankers that are doing cross border haulage and this is enough capacity to transport 50 percent or more of imported fuel,” Mr Tembo said. He said the Zambian fuel transporters have capacity and do not need foreign transporters.  Mr Tembo said their foreign counterparts should be allowed to participate without dominating as the case is in their respective countries.