FISHERMEN in southern Satun province have resorted to transporting small boats on motorcycle sidecars to fill up at petrol pumps amid a ban on selling oil in jerrycans, TV Channel 7 and Workpoint News said today (Mar. 14).
Many filling stations have limited cars to a maximum of 1,000 baht worth of oil and motorcycles just 50 baht.
As fishermen could not go fishing their solution was transport entire boats to the petrol pumps to get urgently needed fuel.
Fishermen in Laem Teppan area said hundreds of boats are currently docked due to the lack of fuel. They urged the government to urgently find a solution, as each boat only uses about 50 litres of oil, and they want to go fishing and make profit during the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival also known as Eid al-Fitr.
Aside from fishermen, over 200 households on Koh Bulon island have been impacted, as they rely on long-tail boats for transportation. Without fuel, they are unable to work, run errands, get medical treatment and will eventually run out of food supplies.
Mr. Jetsada Taleluek, a resident of this island who travelled ashore to repair his boat, is worried because he still cannot get fuel to fill his boat to return home. He emphasised that the fuel shortage and banning sale in jerrycans is beginning to have a severe impact.
Koh Bulon islanders rely on fuel and have never experienced this type of shortage before. This is affecting many aspects of their lives, including their livelihoods, as they rely solely on fishing and without fuel, they cannot go out to work.
Similarly, boat tour operators in Pak Meng beach, Mai Fat subdistrict, Sikao district, Trang province, who likewise are unable to purchase diesel and petrol in containers have turned to driving their cars to fill up at pumps then transferring it to their boats with each boat tour requiring 200 litres.
They urged the government to urgently address the shortage because Trang’s beaches are popular with foreign tourists during the current high season. More importantly, they urged fixing oil prices for a while to avoid impacting businesses as boat tours have been booked in advance.
CAPTION:
A small boat brought to fill up at a petrol pump. Photo – Workpoint News
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