The first shipment of diesel fuel under the PetroCaribe initiative which should have landed here in September is now expected to arrive by the end of October according to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
PetroCaribe is being restarted with a discount of 35 percent on the price of fuel in participating ALBA member countries.
“Assuming everything goes to plan, sometime before the end of October, should have been in September but there are a number of logistical issues but sometime before the end of this month, we should be seeing the first shipment of diesel back under the PetroCaribe agreement”.
Gonsalves said he has been in touch with the former permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security Godfrey Pompey who is still on the board of the local PetroCaribe company and indicated that It may be up to 23,000 barrels in the particular shipment.
Gonsalves said the local company is still working out the logistics with the storage and Vinlec and that the LPG arrangements will be made subsequently.
In relation to the urea, Gonsalves said it is available however, it is a question of the shipping and similarly the asphalt which both require a specialized ship to bring them.
In April of this year, Gonsalves on his return from Venezuela said there would be weekly shipments of urea to be used in agricultural fertilizers and free asphalt to repair roads. The Prime Minister also stated at that time that over 100 prefabricated houses would have been donated by Venezuela for those who lost their homes during natural disasters in 2021.
At the press conference on Tuesday Gonsalves said he has been advised that the company which was supposed to address the housing has reduced the extent of its production.
“It’s still in the pipeline, but I’ve had to discuss an alternative with another country, a possible solution to some of the immediate pressing housing needs arising out of the volcanic eruption”, Gonsalves said.
