We tell you why fuel shortages are to be expected in the coming weekends on the Côte d’Azur
You may have paid the price this Sunday, July 31st, or even this Monday morning at the latest. No Sans Plomb 95, no Sans Plomb 98… the scene has repeated itself since the start of the summer season. Whether in Fréjus, Nice, Cagnes-sur-Mer… in short, on a large part of the coast.
The cause: a supply problem
“The stations are supplied by tankers, 80% of which are loaded in Puget-sur-Argens or Fos-sur-mer. But there is a ministerial decree that bans tanker traffic on the six Saturdays in summer, with some exceptions for deliveries to petrol stations on the motorways“explains Éric Layly, President of the French Combustible Fuels Association and General Manager of the Fuel littoral company based in the Alpes-Maritimes.
As stated on the Ministry of Interior’s website,In general, goods vehicles with a permissible total weight (GVW) of more than 7.5 tons are not allowed to operate on the entire road network in the following periods: July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6, August 13, August 20 2022: from 7am to 7pm (authorized from midnight to 7am, then from 7pm to midnight)”.
This order was issued in particular to avoid accident-prone situations and endless traffic jams that motorists may encounter on the holiday route.
An unsolvable situation for gas stations
In concrete terms, this means that petrol stations are supplied on Fridays and have to last the whole weekend. “In general, gas stations have tanks that are not necessarily very large. In addition, diesel tanks are more important than petrol tanks” remarks Éric Layly, President of the French Combustible Fuels Association and General Manager of the company Fuel littoral based in the Alpes-Maritimes.
“This year it is all the more pronounced because the demand for gasoline is greater. This is certainly because there are more hybrid cars that run on petrol. As we can see from the statistics, the amount of diesel sold in France has fallen sharply.e” analyzes Éric Layly, President of the French Fuel Federation and CEO of the company Fuel littoral based in the Alpes-Maritimes.
In addition, there was a massive influx of people to gas stations on the Côte d’Azur on Saturday and Sunday. During the summer, many tourists come to fuel up when seasonal rentals roll over.
It is therefore strongly recommended to fill up during the week to avoid being left dry at the weekend. On the other hand, as I’m sure you understood, it’s not a shortage, it’s just a problem with the routing of the raw material.
