ERB orders immediate closure of 12 filling stations

ERB Executive Director Langiwe Lungu names Oil Marketing Companies whose service stations have been closed as Continental Oil Corporation Limited,Engen Petroleum Zambia Limited,Mount Meru Petroleum Limited,Petrotech Oil Corporation Limited and Suban Petroleum Limited.

Ms Lungu says compliance monitoring inspections conducted by the ERB between April and May, 2014 revealed that a number of retail sites were not compliant to the ERB technical standards.

She says to this effect, the five Oil Marketing Companies have been directed to immediately cease operating the non compliant sites until the identified anomalies are rectified.

Ms Lungu warns that failure by the OMCs to adhere to the directive shall result in the ERB carrying out enforcement action without further recourse to them.

She the ERB is further concerned that its Inspectorate found that some sites had expired fire extinguishers, expose pumps/dispensers, defective emergency shut off switches, invisible safety signs, faded product colour coding, potholes on the frontcourt, inadequate fire protection cover, clogged drainage system and oil interceptors.

Ms Lungu has since advised the public that the affected service stations situated in Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Kapiri Mposhi, Kabwe, Nakonde and Nampundwe will not be open to the public or be allowed to conduct business until the regulator conducts verification inspections to ensure identified anomalies are rectified.

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