Marketers of diesel fuel in western Pennsylvania through eastern and northern Ohio report very acute diesel supply issues with some terminals out of product.
Some worry that retail truckstops may soon run out of fuel unless the supply situation improves. However, most people we talked too don’t see the supply situation improving for another several weeks.
OPIS was told of one independent truckstop operator waiting in line for fuel a full day to get one of two loads purchased weekly to fend off his facility running out of product.
“I was contemplating sending trucks into Virginia,” one distributor told OPIS. “Prices there are a lot cheaper but it is probably too far to truck diesel loads.”
Outages of diesel and other distillate fuels are reported in places like
Pittsburgh, Altoona, and Harrisburg and west into Ohio from Youngstown north into Cleveland.
“There may be product in Toledo,” a source told OPIS. Again, that is too far to truck barrels, although that could change quickly unless product is resupplied.
Terminals from Delaware north into New England and west into Ohio have experienced supply disruptions. Utilities cut off from natural gas supplies have been sucking up diesel in massive quantities both on a spot and rack basis.
“I don’t see this diesel situation clearing up until natural gas and propane supplies are freed back up,” one source told OPIS.
Ben Brockwell, bbrockwell@opisnet.com
Copyright, Oil Price Information Service
