The Ministry of Energy "acknowledges" the existence of irregularities in the specifications of gasoline

The Ministry of Energy (MOE) has acknowledged the existence of manipulation and irregularities in the specifications of gasoline circulating in the market, after a wide wave of complaints from citizens and the spread of video clips documenting the poor quality of the substance and its abnormal color, and the severe mechanical failures it left in drivers' cars.

The indirect recognition by the Minister of Energy, Mohammed al-Bashir,  came to put the crisis within its technical and legal framework amid popular demands for urgent measures and clear accountability

Social media users circulated clips showing gasoline in a reddish color with visible impurities and deposits, in an unfamiliar scene of the refined substance.

Hundreds of drivers complained of direct malfunctions in their engines immediately after filling, including blocked fuel sprays, damaged filters, and piston failures, in addition to pungent odors similar to sewage, reinforcing the conviction that the dispersed material suffers from a structural defect in filtration and purity.

Gas stations refuse to receive 

Over the past few days, gas stations in the governorates of Daraa, Homs and Rural Damascus have refused to receive shipments from the Syrian Petroleum Company's tankers, a rare step within the hydrocarbons sector, which is accustomed to strict adherence to the official supply chain.

This rejection came after the owners of the stations found that the gasoline sent to them had abnormal characteristics, both in terms of color and the percentage of impurities, which prompted them to make a public decision not to receive despite the sensitivity of the situation legally and administratively.

The owners of the stations justified their position that the poor material would cause the destruction of the pumps (pumps) and cause costly failures in the pumping systems, as well as expose them to legal prosecution if a substance that does not conform to the specifications, in addition to the expected anger from consumers who have already begun to document the mechanical failures of their cars.

This rejection came out public through live statements and video clips circulated on social media, which constituted an additional indication of the seriousness of the technical violation, and pushed the crisis to the forefront of the public debate, after it was limited to the scope of individual complaints.

Official Response: Inspection Campaign and Direct Threat 

Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir has directed the directorates of energy services in the governorates to intensify control over oil derivatives and to withdraw samples from gas stations, against the background of complaints related to the specifications of gasoline sold at some stations.‎

In a  post on his account on the "X" platform on Saturday, July 18, al-Bashir said that he had directed to deal firmly with any violation related to the quality of oil derivatives, and to hold accountable anyone who is proven to be involved, whether at the source, during transportation, storage or distribution, stressing that the measures will be applied "without any exception."

"There is no protection for anyone at the expense of the citizen, and every violation will be met with strict measures in accordance with the law," al-Bashir added, stressing that consumer protection and quality assurance of oil derivatives are a priority in the ministry's work.

The Minister of Energy confirmed that the Directorates of Energy Services will intensify monitoring campaigns and withdrawing samples to verify the conformity of gasoline with the approved specifications, and take legal action against any entity found to have committed violations.

Energy Minister Apologizes

On Saturday, July 11, the Minister of Energy revealed  the exclusion of a full shipment of gasoline that does not conform to the technical specifications, stressing that the decision came to protect the safety of citizens and prevent the release of a substance that may cause widespread malfunctions in vehicles and stations.

 In a statement posted on his Facebook account, he explained that this measure, despite its technical necessity, created a sudden gap in the quantities available for distribution, coinciding with the explosion of what he described as "deferred demand" following the issuance of the price reduction decision, which led to unprecedented pressure on the stations in a short period of time.

Al-Bashir issued an official apology to citizens for the long waiting hours, pointing out that the crisis was not the result of a single defect, but rather the result of an overlap of structural factors and commercial and societal behaviors that contributed to exacerbating the bottleneck , explaining that the ministry took a decisive decision before announcing the new price to prevent the launch of an imported shipment of gasoline after laboratory tests proved that it did not conform to the standard specifications, which led to a temporary shortage of supply within the governorates.