The fuel shortages eased as Egypt on Monday received a new 32 ton shipment from Bulgaria at the Alexandria seaport, official sources at the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade announced.
The ministry sources assured that the new shipment will help solve the fuel crisis seen across most of the country's provinces, adding that the supply will be pumped into the market immediately.
The sources said the ministry's regulatory bodies have been conducting intensive inspections of oil stations and butane gas storehouses, during which they seized half a million liters of petroleum products that had been on the way to the black market. They added that 1,000 butane canisters were also seized as part of their campaign.
Egypt has been witnessing recurrent fuel shortages since the popular uprising which toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Fights, and sometimes killings, are often reported as citizens vie for limited supplies.
The government has unveiled its intention to cut fuel subsidies, of which businesses are the main beneficiaries. Ordinary citizens, the government says, will not be affected by the cuts.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
