In light of a recent article published in Guyana Times under the caption “Questions mount over quality of GuyOil fuel”, the company in its response stated that its product is certified and called the article “outrageous”.
In a brief statement on the matter, the State entity reassured its customers and the general public that fuel sold by the company is subjected to rigorous quality control tests and is certified to have met all required specifications.
GuyOil went on to say that contrary the reports published, it has “not received any reports from its customers or franchise holders which indicate that they have experienced any challenges in the operation of their vehicles as a result of fuel purchased from its service stations.” This response from the company came after numerous complaints surfaced in the press indicating that quality of gasoline could have been responsible for multiple vehicles overheating and catching fire leaving operators and some occupants to dart for safety.
Some persons related that GuyOil was among the stations they had purchased from and when this newspaper sought a comment from representatives last week, such attempts proved futile. Notably, after several minutes waiting on the line, calls were being transferred to various departments, purportedly within the company.
Among the complaints mounted by members of the public was that peculiar fumes were emanating from the fuel and complaints that vehicles were overheating.
A mechanic relayed on Friday that he began to encounter difficulties with several vehicles which he claimed was using fuel from GuyOil.
A motorcycle started to overheat soon after fuel was purchase from the entity. As such, the mechanic told Guyana Times that he then emptied the gas tank and refilled it with another gasoline brand. When this was done, the motorcycle’s engine reportedly began to run smoothly and without any difficulties, he claimed.
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, had further claimed that he contacted the gas station where the fuel was purchased but was unable to speak with a representative. Only recently, four vehicles erupted in flames. Reports are that the first fire occurred at High Street and Brickdam on Wednesday after persons saw the driver stopping his vehicle and thick smoke which emanated from the bonnet transformed into an uncontrollable fire.
The vehicle, bearing registration number PJJ 5656, was badly damaged.
The second was a bus contracted to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) which was crossing over David Street, heading in the direction of the Rupert Craig Highway. The driver, Tameshwar Mullin, had noticed smoke stemming from under his seat. After parking and exiting the vehicle, he lifted the seat and saw the flames.
The third vehicle was a minibus that caught fire on Thursday in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). Police in D Division (West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) are also the investigating the circumstances under which a route 32 minibus, travelling to Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, crashed and caught fire on Thursday. However, the driver reportedly claimed that a fire started in the vehicle which resulted in the crash though some passengers disputed this claim.
