By ROMULUS MASIU
MOTORISTS in Bougainville are resorting to kerosene to run their vehicles as the region experiences fuel shortage .
All fuel outlets have been hard hit with most completely dried up.
It is expected that there would be no vehicles moving about this week.
The ongoing problem stemmed from the National Maritime Safety Authority’s (NMSA) decision to ground all the vessels operating between East New Britain and Bougainville.
These vessels are responsible for transporting much needed cargo to Bougainville including fuel.
The vessels have been grounded since January after NMSA officers inspected the vessels and found them not sea worthy.
A highway driver from Buin told The National that he travelled from Buin to Buka on kerosene as there is no diesel anywhere including Buka town.
Other vehicle owners have also expressed same sentiments, saying they are now running on kerosene.
When asked if the kerosene would not do any damage to the vehicle engines, the highway driver Chris Tommy said it depends on the engine type and the distance the vehicle travels.
He added: “I don’t know what others think but I am running on kerosene and I travelled alright from Buin to Kokopau. Kerosene does the job like diesel and petrol.”
The only vessel frequenting the waters of Bougainville now is the Consort Express Lines (CEL) vessel, coming twice a month.
However, the CEL vessels don’t bring in fuel.
Those hit hard by the fuel crisis on the island region are PMV owners and passengers, road construction companies, public servants and business houses.
Some road construction companies upgrading roads on the island have already stopped work because of the fuel shortage.
Last Friday passengers, especially government workers were seen waiting at bus stops with only two PMV buses operating the Hutjena/Buka Town section of the road.
Most of the passengers from mainland Bougainville, especially from south and central, were left stranded in Buka town as highway PMVs could not travel for lack of fuel.
“We are stranded now in Buka and could not travel to Buin because of the fuel shortage problem,” Buin man Linus Konukung told The National last Friday.
It is understood the vessels found not sea-worthy by the NMSA inspectors have been ordered to the dry dock for maintenance and would not be available for at least a couple of months.
The shipping company owners, who are mostly Rabaul-based, could not disclose when exactly their vessels would be ready to operate but confirmed they are under maintenance as directed by NMSA and would take quite some time to be fully operational.