On Monday, 13 April 2026, widespread panic buying of fuel broke out across Guyana, leaving queues stretching for blocks outside filling stations and empty pumps at many outlets, prompting the country’s top leadership to step forward to reassure the public that the temporary disruption would be resolved quickly with ample new supplies already arriving.
Widespread stockpiling was triggered after a major fuel shipment delay for SOL, the operator of Mobil-branded fuel outlets across the country, left its stations completely out of gasoline and diesel. According to President Irfaan Ali, the delay occurred after one of SOL’s petroleum tankers lost its anchorage and was forced to return to port, disrupting the scheduled delivery timeline. Prime Minister Mark Phillips, addressing the public Monday night, confirmed that the delayed shipment has now arrived in Guyana and is currently being offloaded to distribution networks.
The Prime Minister emphasized that there is no justification for ongoing panic buying or hoarding, noting that multiple importers have already landed large volumes of fuel and additional large consignments are scheduled to arrive through the first half of this week. Detailed arrival schedules for all major national fuel suppliers confirm that new supplies are already entering the market:
On Monday 13 April at 2 p.m., Rubis Guyana Inc. took delivery of 10,000 barrels of gasoline, 6,700 barrels of low-sulphur diesel, and 4,500 barrels of ultra-low-sulphur diesel, alongside 3,000 barrels of gasoline and 14,000 barrels of diesel that arrived for SOL. Offloading for these shipments began immediately, with distribution rolling out to filling stations by Monday evening.
Looking ahead, SOL is scheduled to receive an additional 12,000 barrels of gasoline and 6,000 barrels of diesel at 2:20 p.m. on 14 April. Rubis will take another 10,000 barrels of gasoline, 18,000 barrels of diesel, and 3,000 barrels of avjet at 3 p.m. the same day. For Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL), two large shipments carrying a combined 21,000 barrels of gasoline and 9,000 barrels of diesel are scheduled to arrive and begin offloading on the morning of Thursday 15 April.
With the supply shortage prompting many consumers to stockpile fuel in unsafe plastic containers, the Prime Minister issued a critical public safety warning. He reminded Guyanese that all petroleum products are highly flammable, and storing fuel in unapproved, non-industrial containers creates severe fire hazards that can lead to catastrophic injury, loss of life, and widespread property damage.
Phillips added that the Guyana government will maintain close oversight of the fuel market through the resolution of the disruption, and will implement all necessary measures to ensure consistent, reliable access to fuel for all consumers across the country.
Monday’s unprecedented long queues at filling stations marked the most severe public panic over fuel supplies the country has seen since the 1980s, when Guyana faced a crippling foreign exchange crisis and broad economic recession that left critical goods in short supply.