VietNamNet Bridge – The city's Department of Science and Technology is working with petrol companies to seek solutions to prevent petrol stations from selling sub-standard petrol.

A petrol station in HCM City's Binh Thanh District. City authorities and petrol companies are seeking strict punishments for stations that sell sub-standard petrol. (Photo: VNS)

According to many petrol companies, the quality of petrol can only be ensured when it is being transported from ports to petrol companies, not to petrol stations.

Many petrol companies said that, to gain more profit, a number of petrol stations source sub-standard petrol from unverified suppliers to sell to customers.

Dang Que Son, deputy director of Thu Duc Import-Export Trade Company Ltd., said petrol companies signed contracts, including detailed terms and conditions, with petrol stations.

But if petrol stations violate terms and conditions, the highest sanction is only a contract termination.

Although many petrol stations have signed contracts with petrol companies, they still source petrol from many unverified suppliers, making it difficult to control quality, according to a representative from Petrolimex 2.

The law stipulates that a petrol station can source petrol from only one petrol company, but many still violate it, the representative said.

Phan Minh Tan, director of the city's Department of Science and Technology, said petrol companies should protect customer rights by working together closely to keep watch on petrol stations that sell sub-standard petrol.

Tan has asked all petrol companies to improve the terms and conditions in contracts signed with petrol stations, and to stop supplying petrol for at least six months to any petrol stations found to sell sub-standard petrol.

If petrol companies violate the city's directive, they would be penalised as well.

According to Saigon Petrol, all petrol companies must share the responsibility for this issue.

Saigon Petrol said it had stopped supplying petrol for one petrol station because it sold sub-standard petrol.

It plans to continue to terminate contracts with any petrol station found selling sub-standard petrol.

The Department of Science and Technology has asked petrol companies to review petrol-quality control procedures (from the time it is first imported into the country to the time when it is sold to petrol stations), and then report to the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ).

Any company found violating this regulation would be strictly punished, the department said.

In addition, the department also asked petrol companies to equip themselves with portable octan-index measurements to better check the quality of petrol.

Earlier this month, STAMEQ discovered and announced the names of 11 petrol stations in HCM City that sell sub-standard petrol to customers.

Sub-standard petrol can affect vehicle engines and shorten their life.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News