Drivers are being urged to buy only the fuel they need as more than 600 Nigeria rebels attack Shell oil pipeline ...
Rising oil price benefits Shell ...
Strike and sabotage cut Nigeria's oil output ... tanker drivers begin a four-day strike.

The drivers, who work for two companies delivering fuel to Shell forecourts in the UK, will walk out at 0600BST.

Last-minute talks aimed at resolving the dispute ended without agreement when the Unite union rejected an improved pay offer.

Shell said it had contingency plans in place but admitted some of its 1,000 petrol stations might run out of fuel.

Unite said the improved pay offer from Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport, who employ the drivers, was "not sufficient".

The employers said their latest offer would take drivers' average earnings to about £41,500, up from the current average salary of £36,500.

"We extended our offer to the very limits that our business could sustain," said Bernie Holloway from Hoyer UK.

'Significant impact'

Union members are expected to set up picket lines outside a number of Shell sites at oil terminals around the UK.

These include Stanlow in Merseyside, Avonmouth, Plymouth, Pembroke, Cardiff, Kingsbury, Basildon, Grangemouth, Aberdeen, Inverness, Jarrow and Luton Airport.

Unite said it expected the knock-on effect to be felt almost immediately.

Shell, which runs one in ten of the UK's petrol stations acknowledged that the impact would be "significant".

But the UK Petrol Industry Association (UKPIA), which represents oil refiners, maintained that stocks at forecourts across the UK were at normal levels and most garages would have around four days of supplies.

There have been reports this week of higher-than-usual demand at petrol stations. UKPIA estimated that demand for fuel was 30% higher than average for the time of year.

But a spokesperson said this was something the industry could easily cope with and and that motorists appeared to be behaving sensibly.

Sharing information

The government said it would try to minimise the impact of the industrial action on motorists and business.

"As a contingency, and on the advice of the fuel industry itself, we sanctioned the fuel industry to prepare for a jointly managed approach to resolving distribution and logistical challenges," a government spokesperson said.

The government has allowed fuel companies to share information in order to get supplies of petrol and diesel to where they are needed during the strike, while remaining within the scope of competition law.

It also has the option of using a number of "emergency response tools" in the event of any fuel shortages. These include:

• Limiting the amount of fuel that retail customers are allowed to buy at any one time
• Prioritising the supply of fuel to ensure adequate supplies to the emergency services and other key services such as utility companies
• Encouraging motorists to use less fuel

A government spokesperson said, however, that these emergency powers had not been put in place.

"Our response will remain proportionate to the situation," the spokesperson said.

Do you work for Hoyer UK, Suckling Transport or Shell? Are you a consumer worried about possible petrol shortages? Is your local petrol station busier than usual? Send us your comments using the form below.

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(BBC)

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