Gas Rationing in Baja

Bajabil3 · Jul-09-2008, 12:08 AM

More Good News, it may best to fill up where ever you can in Baja now. This probably won't help tourism or the local economy much. I'm beginning to notice long lines waiting at stations here in Ensenada now. Looks like it is Big rigs only in lines for now.

By Omar Millán González
UNION-TRIBUNE

July 8, 2008

TIJUANA – Mexico's national oil monopoly began to ration the supply of gasoline in the Baja California region yesterday, much as it has limited diesel deliveries for several weeks.
Joaquín Aviña, president of the Association of Gas Station Owners of Tijuana, which represents 157 stations, said Pemex told the stations it would supply them according to their sales from January to March, without taking into account current demand.

He said that sales during that period, normally a slow time, were far below what they are now.

Advertisement “This short-sighted approach could generate chaos similar to what we're currently experiencing with diesel,” Aviña said.
Aviña said demand for diesel has gone up 36 percent in the first six months of this year, compared with the same period of 2007, while gasoline sales spiked 25 percent. Pemex has confirmed those numbers.

Some 20 gas station owners held a closed-door meeting yesterday morning with Arturo Gómez, the commercial division chief at the Pemex plant in Rosarito Beach. He told them gasoline was being rationed because of distribution problems, two owners said afterward.

However, Aviña said Pemex is taking a protectionist position to force the region's gas stations to stop selling subsidized gasoline and diesel to drivers from the United States.

The Mexican government heavily subsidizes fuel to protect transportation from international market forces, which have driven up fuel prices in the United States to unprecedented levels.

According to Mexico's consumer protection agency, it's against the law to limit or discriminate in the sale of products.

The shift supervisors and managers of several stations in Tijuana and Rosarito Beach said they received only one of their three routine deliveries yesterday, of 5,200 gallons each.

Juan José García, shift supervisor of a station in Rosarito Beach, said Pemex cut his deliveries by two-thirds yesterday. The reason he was given is a forthcoming restructuring of the distribution system.

His station had run out of diesel and premium gasoline by 1 p.m., he said, while the demand for regular unleaded gasoline was growing at a rapid pace.

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Omar Millán González is a contributor to the Union-Tribune's Spanish-language newspaper, Enlace.

Kurt · Jul-09-2008, 06:36 AM

A good friend of mine has her Mother down there and she said with the border wait so long she won't attempt visiting right now for fear of not being able to buy gas.

aguachico · Jul-09-2008, 11:05 AM

For the past year I've been smiling all the way to TJ once a week. Gas, tacos and arriba.
Now I'm thinking on what to do with my truck if the diesel supplies are impacted forever.
Between the housing market, job market and fuel costs - makes me wonder...

(Bloomberg) -- Petroleos Mexicanos, Mexico's state- owned oil company, reduced the amount of crude oil it supplies to Texas refineries operated by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Valero Energy Corp. as falling production curbs exports.
The guaranteed amount of Mayan oil for a Deer Park, Texas, refinery jointly operated with Shell, Europe's biggest oil company, was cut by 15 percent, the Mexico City-based company said in a regulatory filing. Pemex also lowered oil supplies by 5.8 percent to the Port Arthur, Texas, refinery of Valero, the largest U.S. refiner.

``We have not had any problem supplying any of our refineries with crude oil,'' Bill Day, a Valero spokesman, said today in a telephone interview from San Antonio. ``We don't usually comment about contracts to specific refineries.''

Falling oil output is curbing Pemex exports to the U.S., which buys about 80 percent of the crude Mexico sells abroad. Sales to the U.S. dropped to 1.07 million barrels a day in May, the lowest since November 1995. Mexico is the third-biggest supplier of crude to the U.S., after Canada and Saudi Arabia.

**Surfdoc** · Jul-09-2008, 02:04 PM

Art save the truck for deeper Baja runs. Thats my answer. I don't think you'll have problems in Camalu or Colenett.
We've fuck ourselves on the border. Folks found a good thing and couldn't keep they're pieholes shut. Now you have construction companies and ass hats with 55 gal drums driving over the border to get as much as they can.
I'm keeping the truck and just looking to doing deeper probes when I want to fill up.

I don't see any quick fix for this problem as long as gringos continue to be greedy, and our goverment does nothing to solve the problem.

aguachico · Jul-09-2008, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surfdoc

Art save the truck for deeper Baja runs. Thats my answer. I don't think you'll have problems in Camalu or Colenett.
We've fuck ourselves on the border. Folks found a good thing and couldn't keep they're pieholes shut. Now you have construction companies and ass hats with 55 gal drums driving over the border to get as much as they can.
I'm keeping the truck and just looking to doing deeper probes when I want to fill up.

I don't see any quick fix for this problem as long as gringos continue to be greedy, and our goverment does nothing to solve the problem.

Your right about that Stan, I was one of the stupido pendejos that bragged about it Never in my dreams did I think supply would be an issue. I save my truck payment ever month by buying diesel in baja.

What was intersting is the talk of large baja companies starting to hoard to fuel onsite.

I'm going to SQ this weeknd and hope the situation is OK.

Customboatguy · Jul-09-2008, 11:36 PM

calmate boyz! This will come to pass and then it will be ok again.

Rebound · Jul-10-2008, 12:29 AM

OH GOOD< No Salmon up here in Half Moon Bay, Gas at the dock is over Five bucks a gallon.Moving my boat to San Quintin for the summer.WHY!!! ,for no gas.CRAP!!!.You cant win for trying. I just want to fish.

A_SALT_WEAPON · Jul-10-2008, 10:25 AM

I just returnned from a trip to Santa Rosalia with a two day stop at San Quintin on the way back.

on the trip down, there was no diesel at Camalu or anywhere north of there, but they had it at the next town (Zapatta something). Once we got to Baja Sur it was available everywhere.

On our return trip they were out of diesel in El Rosario, San Quintin, Camalu and the town where we got it on the way down. We were getting desperate and checking every station and finally got lucky about 150 miles from the border. We did not see any more diesel avalable north of there and we tried to top off at a couple of stations. Sure glad I put that 64 (actually holds 70) gallon tank in the truck before the trip.

We had no trouble getting gas for the boats.

baaadlybent · Jul-10-2008, 03:34 PM

Returned from LA Bay at 4:30 this morning. No diesel or gas problems in the Bay. Topped off the diesel in El Rosario. Only bought 430 pesos but they seemed like they would have kept pumping if it went over 500. On the southbound trip last week several stations did limit to 500 pesos. I didn't find any diesel north of El Rosario and I did look. Gas was no problem. Put 65 gallons in the Warrior tanks for my boat here. By the way, the drive was great. NO traffic after 10:00 pm, just the way I like it. Crossed the border at 2:30 am with a two or three minute wait.

badf00d · Jul-10-2008, 10:00 PM

Doug,

How was BOLA? I am headed down Sunday and was hoping to find a good fish report before I left

baaadlybent · Jul-12-2008, 09:44 PM

Sorry. Didn't see this until tonight. 4Baja has some good current reports. Plenty of small yellows at Smith and thereabouts, both on the iron and bait. Plenty of bait in front of Guillermos early am.