Fuel price protestors may target ferry ports (From Western Telegraph)

Fuel price protestors may target ferry ports

Pembrokeshires two ferry ports could be under siege this month as hauliers switch tactics in their protest at crippling fuel costs.

Protestors want to draw attention to the huge differential between fuel prices in Britain and Southern Ireland.

Britains biggest petrol retailer, BP, triggered the latest fuel price increase by raising the cost of unleaded by a penny to 74.9p per litre on Wednesday, more than four pence higher than it was just three months ago. It followed a sharp increase in the price of oil caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

Hauliers have hinted that Pembroke Dock and Fishguard ferry ports are high on a list of possible targets. They are unlikely to strike ahead of the Chancellors Budget speech later this month.

Mark Greene, of South and West Wales Hauliers, is making no apologies for the disruption it could create. Our protest would be on behalf of every motorist in Britain, he says.

All the traffic coming into Pembrokeshire from Southern Ireland has got cheap fuel in its tanks while we are paying 80% in tax to the Government.

There is also speculation that supermarket shelves could be left bare if protestors blockade food distribution warehouses. The slow traffic march into the county is likely to be repeated.

Hauliers are aiming for maximum impact and a repeat of the autumn 2000 protests at Pembrokeshires two oil refineries would deny them that. Only 2.5% of the fuel refined at Texacos Rhoscrowther plant leaves by road, a fact overlooked when attempts were made to prevent tankers leaving the site at that time.

The remainder is distributed by pipeline and sea.

The reason why retailers and major customers ran out of fuel so quickly during the last protest was the just in time system they operate.

They have to pay for the fuel when it is ordered and some customers order twice a day rather than foot the bill for petrol in storage.

Texaco, a major employer in Pembrokeshire, admits it is operating on very thin margins.

Currently, 57p out of every litre sold goes to the Treasury. The oil costs it 13p a litre leaving just over four pence to be shared between the manufacturer and the retailer. This has to pay for manufacturing, staff, transport and marketing costs.

But Texaco remains committed to its Pembrokeshire refinery which supplies up to 1,200 of its forecourt sites across Britain.

Oil companies operate on the same margins throughout the world, the price differential is purely a result of taxation, says its spokeswoman.