Vriesweer orders domestic heating oil peaks
The suppliers of fuel oil received a huge number of orders on Monday, their federation reports.
“Our members’ telephone is ringing off the hook”, emphasizes Johan Mattart, the general director of the Belgian Federation of Fuel Traders Brafco. ‘We received orders for a whole week in a few hours on Monday morning. It’s all hands on deck. ‘
The phone is ringing off the hook.
Mattart notes that due to the corona pandemic, many Belgians teleworking and also need heating during the day. ‘People expect the low temperatures to continue and want to anticipate. Families with smaller tanks in particular fear that they will run dry. ‘
Still, Mattart does not expect many Belgians to be confronted with an empty tank. ‘Many families filled the tank to the brim in the spring of last year because the price was very low then.’ The maximum price of domestic heating oil hit a low of 0.311 euros per liter on April 30, 2020, after the price of crude oil crashed below $ 20 a barrel due to large oversupply.
Drive and rest times
In order to be able to serve customers quickly, the federation has asked Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) a temporary deviation from the driving and rest times for the drivers, says Mattart. ‘Our members have to respect the same driving and rest times as the drivers of international transport, while they spend more time outside the van than in the van. Our drivers only drive around the church tower. ‘
Petroleum is again just as expensive as before the pandemic.
The maximum price of domestic fuel oil for a delivery of at least 2,000 liters will increase by 1.09 cents to 0.5447 euros per liter on Tuesday. As a result, the purchase of 2,000 liters of domestic fuel oil now costs 467 euros more than at the end of April last year. This increase is the result of the rebound in the oil price, which is again just as high as before the pandemic. Brent oil, the reference price in Europe, will cost more than $ 60 a barrel for the first time in a year on Monday.
Petroleum has become more expensive in recent months as the oil cartel OPEC and its allies have cut production. Saudi Arabia in particular is cutting production sharply in February and March, because the kingdom wants to phase out the large stocks. The International Energy Agency estimates that global inventories have fallen by 300 million barrels since May last year.
At the same time, the oil market expects the vaccinations against the coronavirus and the extra stimulus from the Biden government to revive the world economy and the demand for oil. US President Joe Biden wants to pump an extra $ 1,900 billion into the American economy.
