Egypt's General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has closed multiple fuel stations and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sites over smuggling, black market sales, and safety violations uncovered during nationwide inspections in early August, the petroleum ministry said Tuesday. The inspections, carried out by EGPC's central monitoring committee, found extensive breaches in handling and distribution across several governorates. In Minya, authorities seized about 633,000 litres of diesel and gasoline worth 19 million Egyptian pounds from a fuel station, along with a truck illegally collecting diesel for resale. In Cairo, inspectors confiscated bottled gasoline of unknown origin, found to be substandard and contaminated. In Sohag, an oil storage facility was found holding more than 1,200 unlabelled containers with no proof of source or quality. At an LPG cylinder filling plant in Suez, damaged cylinders were set for refilling without mandatory testing, prompting immediate shutdown orders. Additional breaches were recorded at five LPG distribution warehouses in residential areas of Alexandria and at 11 fuel stations in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Gharbia, Daqahliya, Sharqiya and Minya. One Minya station was found using non-compliant diesel pumps, while six others in multiple governorates lacked adequate fire-fighting equipment or had unsafe electrical wiring. The ministry said legal action had been taken against those involved in smuggling and illegal sales, with cases referred to the Public Prosecution. EGPC also reviewed operational controls in marketing companies, including GPS tracking of fuel tankers, automated inventory monitoring, and electronic transaction systems. Follow-up visits to some Cairo and Alexandria sites found full compliance with safety and operational standards. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
