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By PIUS RUGONZIBWA, 16th June 2011 @ 16:00,
DAILY NEWS
THE Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has seized a consignment of 5,000 metric tonnes of sub-standard gas oil (diesel) shipped to the country by a vessel christened MT Gulf Jumeirah from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
TBS Director General Charles Ekerege told a news conference in Dar es Salaam on Thursday that the gas oil, whose value was not immediately established, was seized by TBS officials at the Dar es Salaam Port last Monday.
We tested the sample of the gas oil and established that flash point temperature is out of specification according to Tanzania standards of TZS 674 2009 Automotive Diesel Fuel specifications, he noted.
The TBS DG said that the test results showed that the sample had temperature of 56 centigrade far below the minimum standards required of 66 centigrade. Flash point temperature measures tendency of the sample to form a flammable condition and it is a critical characteristic in assessing overall flammability hazard of gas oil, he said.
According to him, the flash point temperature is very important for safety, particularly during transportation of gas oil. He cautioned all importers of gas oil in the country to make sure the imported diesel for Tanzania market complies to set standards otherwise stern measures will always be taken against them.
The measures include order for re-shipment of the consignment to the place of origin at the cost of the consignee. We have already communicated with other partners like the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) on the consignment to make sure it is re-shipped back as soon as possible, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ekerege said TBS and the security organs are hunting for a businessman whose doubtful spirits were detained in Moshi last month. He said an investigation on the spirits, labelled Gordons, has shown they were illegally imported and lacked clear labels to identify their country of origin, manufacturer and ingredients.
The spirits, which were found in various selling outlets in the municipality, were also lacking dates of manufacturing and batch number. The importer is still at large but well take him to task according to TBS Act. But apart from penalties, well educate him on procedures so that he wont commit such an offence again, he said.
DAILY NEWS
THE Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has seized a consignment of 5,000 metric tonnes of sub-standard gas oil (diesel) shipped to the country by a vessel christened MT Gulf Jumeirah from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
TBS Director General Charles Ekerege told a news conference in Dar es Salaam on Thursday that the gas oil, whose value was not immediately established, was seized by TBS officials at the Dar es Salaam Port last Monday.
We tested the sample of the gas oil and established that flash point temperature is out of specification according to Tanzania standards of TZS 674 2009 Automotive Diesel Fuel specifications, he noted.
The TBS DG said that the test results showed that the sample had temperature of 56 centigrade far below the minimum standards required of 66 centigrade. Flash point temperature measures tendency of the sample to form a flammable condition and it is a critical characteristic in assessing overall flammability hazard of gas oil, he said.
According to him, the flash point temperature is very important for safety, particularly during transportation of gas oil. He cautioned all importers of gas oil in the country to make sure the imported diesel for Tanzania market complies to set standards otherwise stern measures will always be taken against them.
The measures include order for re-shipment of the consignment to the place of origin at the cost of the consignee. We have already communicated with other partners like the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) on the consignment to make sure it is re-shipped back as soon as possible, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ekerege said TBS and the security organs are hunting for a businessman whose doubtful spirits were detained in Moshi last month. He said an investigation on the spirits, labelled Gordons, has shown they were illegally imported and lacked clear labels to identify their country of origin, manufacturer and ingredients.
The spirits, which were found in various selling outlets in the municipality, were also lacking dates of manufacturing and batch number. The importer is still at large but well take him to task according to TBS Act. But apart from penalties, well educate him on procedures so that he wont commit such an offence again, he said.
