British army starts fuel deliveries to ease energy crisis

The British army on Monday started deploying military tanker drivers to deliver petrol to fuel stations in a bid to resolve the nation's energy crisis.   

British military personnel in combat fatigues arrived at a BP refinery to help deliver fuel amid an acute shortage of truckers, a Reuters reporter said.

In recent days, the UK has been hit hard by fuel shortages, stoking public anger and panic buying.

The military drivers were put on standby at the beginning of the week and have since received specialized training.

It's the UK's worst fuel crisis in decades, with images of motorists forming long lines at fuel stations to secure scarce supplies damaging government credibility.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government says a lack of tanker drivers to deliver fuel and unprecedented demand is behind the crisis.

Oil companies have assured that there is no lack in supply, simply a problem of delivery. 

Why is there a driver shortage?

Critics blame the government for the driver shortage, pointing to its hardline approach to Brexit, which led to the scarcity of drivers from Eastern Europe who would normally deliver the fuel to the pumps.

But the government denies the claim and argues that the pandemic is to blame. Ministers stress that the trucker shortage is a global problem, although other European countries have not experienced a similar situation at fuel stations.

To counter the problem, authorities made a U-turn on short-term visas, offering up to 5,000 such visas for drivers of heavy goods vehicles (HGV) and another 5,000 for poultry workers.

But that falls far short of the number needed, according to industry associations, which estimate Britain needs 100,000 more drivers to meet demand.

Representatives of European truckers are also skeptical that drivers would want to come to the UK on visas that would expire on December 24.

The British government says that the long-term solution is to hire more British drivers and to offer better pay and conditions. Training and testing has been put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.

What's the current state of affairs?

Demand for fuel has stabilized over the past few days, but some parts of the country still face severe shortages.

While fuel stations in London and southeastern England continue to suffer from a lack of fuel, the situation has improved in northern England and Scotland, the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said on Saturday.

The driver scarcity has affected not just fuel deliveries, but also other supplies of consumer goods, making empty shelves in supermarkets a common sight.  

Despite the problems, Johnson on Saturday vowed to press on with his post-Brexit agenda for the UK.

He has also angered Brussels by threatening to dispense with some of the new trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. Furthermore, British authorities have delayed the full implementation of new border checks on imports from the European Union. 

The EU has said it will not renegotiate the terms of the so-called Northern Ireland protocol, which governs trade between Britain and its province, which borders EU member Ireland.

sri/rt (Reuters, AFP)