The Cayman Islands’ Chief Petroleum Inspector (CPI) has identified some preliminary measures for fuel quality control, after completing a self-initiated assessment of local gasoline standards.

Work supporting the report, entitled Investigation into Quality Issues of Gasoline Distributed in Cayman Islands Retail Network, took place late last year, following several complaints of automobiles experiencing mechanical problems purportedly linked to gasoline quality.

CPI Duke Munroe has recommended establishing a formal complaint process; certified analysis of all fuel used in the retail network and periodic random sampling by the Inspectorate to verify same; as well as a committee to develop and periodically review quality standards for imported fuel.

New regulations, and fast-tracking of policies to ensure quality and to allow effective monitoring and enforcement of industry standards, are among other key recommendations made.

In November the draft report with findings was presented to government, and is currently being reviewed. Copies were also shared with the oil companies, who cooperated with the CPI during the investigation.

The quality of the fuel analysed was found to be generally acceptable, and the analyses which were performed by Certified Labs in the USA indicated that the baseline parameter of local fuel meets standard test criteria.

The few cases where fuel quality issues were found, in particular, issues regarding some underground tanks, the product of concern was diesel – not gasoline. While measures have been taken to address those issues, additional work is needed in this area.

While the industry’s Octane Index was found to be acceptable for the fuels tested, any possibly compromised fuel would likely have been depleted at the time of the investigation. The fact that many drivers use different retail locations, and often different companies was a factor which influenced the exercise.

Of the parameters analysed, the levels of existent gum were found to be somewhat abnormal. Yet, based on available information, the level of “gum” detected was not suspected to be the cause of vehicular issues.  While the symptoms did not directly correlate with issues related to this parameter, the possibility could not be ruled out.

“Because of its likely effects, efforts continue to further review this topic as part of comprehensive solution to the problem,” states the 24-page report.  Mild anomalies in fuel colour were also flagged for further observation and review.

Mr. Munroe notes that tank maintenance, technical issues and inventory management practices will continue to be scrutinized in order to determine if there are other underlying issues.

While stating that the noted shortcomings were “manageable” during the exercise, the CPI notes that improvements are needed in the area of information-sharing between the fuel industry, government and the public. In many cases, “basic non-proprietary information was difficult to obtain…which can only be addressed by well-defined regulations”.

The summary concludes: “Despite some limitations, the exercise produced useful findings and valuable data/information which is essential for renewed discussion in the area of fuel quality, and ultimately to develop a framework to address this issue, going forward.”