Contaminated Gasoline Reaches Market
Syria's Ministry of Energy announced on 13 October 2026 the findings of a technical investigation into a shipment of gasoline that failed to meet national standards and ended up damaging motorists' vehicles. A committee formed by the energy minister submitted a final report tracing how the substandard fuel entered the local market.
The ministry said part of the non-compliant fuel mixed with compliant gasoline and reached filling stations, affecting an as-yet-unspecified number of vehicles.
How the Error Occurred
According to the investigation, the substandard shipment had already been unloaded into the Syrian Petroleum Company's storage tanks before being judged unfit for the local market. A decision was taken to return it to its source through the pipeline network.
During that transfer, an operational error allowed the rejected fuel to mix with a compliant batch. The resulting blend was distributed and later linked to engine and vehicle damage.
Figures and Locations
Quality-control units tested 10 to 11 tankers before unloading, and laboratory results showed the fuel was non-compliant, prompting a return to the Baniyas facility. Some tankers were said to have been headed to stations in Daraa.
A former refinery manager estimated that up to roughly 250 cubic meters — about 250,000 liters — may have been mixed, while stressing that the precise volume awaits the final investigation. Officials did not confirm how many vehicles were affected.
Compensation and Accountability
The ministry tasked the Syrian Petroleum Company with establishing a compensation mechanism for affected owners, to be paid in successive stages, and said legal measures would follow against those responsible, each according to their role.
Consumer-protection representatives called for the full technical report to be published, for responsibility to be clearly assigned, and for a transparent process to handle damage claims.
Oversight Questions
Industry figures raised concerns that tanker owners had been prevented from sampling their loads at the Baniyas and Homs refineries, with some reportedly warned of a one-year suspension. Sampling was said to have been permitted again at Homs, though not confirmed at Baniyas.
Critics said the initial statement left basic questions unanswered, including the shipment's origin, its exact volume, and how it passed multiple inspection points before reaching consumers.