European oil and gas majors sell “dirty” fuel to Africa

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Major European oil and gas companies are accused of selling low-quality diesel and gasoline to African customers, Oilprice.com informs citing the findings of a three-year investigation conducted by a Switzerland-based advocacy group Public Eye.

According to the findings published on Thursday, a few Swiss traders are involved in using an “illegitimate strategy” to profit off of lowest quality fuels shipped to African countries.

“The trading companies not only ship dirty diesel and dirty gasoline — and in some areas even sell it at their own pumps — but also produce both fuels themselves,” the report says. “On land or at sea, they mix up a petrochemical cocktail from refinery products and other components known in the industry as "African Quality.”

Public Eye tested fuel samples from shipments sold by European companies in eight African countries: Angola, Benin, Congo-Brazzaville, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal and Zambia. In the gasoline samples there were found heightened sulfur levels.