HOUSTON -- Some semblance of normalcy has been returning to the Houston retail gasoline market this week as many of the area's gas stations, some of which had been shuttered for the storm, were once again opened and supplied for business.
As of Tuesday, all 89 of Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Exxon retail outlets in the Houston area were open and supplied with gasoline. The company added, however, that because of high demand, some stations could run out of fuel for short periods.
Our highest priority was to use all available resources to [image-nocss] minimize supply disruptions and resupply the Houston market as quickly as possible, the company said. Eleven 9,000 gallon capacity tanker trucks and 30 drivers were brought in from California, Illinois, Florida and New Jersey to assist in resupplying our retail stores in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. We are working with our ExxonMobil distributors to supply and reopen their retail stores in Angelina County, on Galveston Island and in Jefferson County.
ExxonMobil said it provided assistance in locating alternate power sources and additional fuel delivery vehicles.
ConocoPhillips said that following Hurricane Rita, the company reopened its Houston-area terminal in Pasadena, Texas, last Saturday and has been providing fuels to the retail sites it supplies in the greater Houston market.
"ConocoPhillips does not tolerate price gouging and has exhibited strong restraint on pricing in the aftermath of both Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina," said Chairman and CEO Jim Mulva. The company froze wholesale gasoline prices to branded customers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama immediately following Hurricane Katrina and kept wholesale prices to branded customers flat in eastern Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane Rita.
The company reacted with substantially lower price increases in other Gulf Coast markets to our branded wholesale customers compared to the increase in the spot commodity markets, Mulva added. Prior to the landfall of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we contacted our gasoline distributors and requested their support in our efforts to act responsibly in the communities we serve.
As reported in CSP Daily News earlier this week, Valero Energy Corp. and Shell Oil Products US said Monday that they had reopened many of their Houston-area gas stations, although they also warned that some could run out of fuel again because of high demand.
Valero said 202 of its 231 Houston-area stores had reopened and 112 had fuel. The company said it would continue refueling efforts.
Shell and Motiva Enterprises LLC said Monday that 60% of Shell-branded stations in the Houston area have gasoline and that the number increases every hour. More than 486 tanker loads or 4.3 million gallons of fuel have been shipped to strategic station locations across the greater Houston area and along return routes from Dallas, Austin and San Antonio since Saturday. The companies will continue to deliver fuel, with at least 70 deliveries scheduled by midnight Monday.
The company updated that Tuesday. Shell and Motiva have reopened their Beaumont Terminal and tankers have begun pulling fuel from the location. With three terminals now open, the companies reported that 70% of Shell-branded stations in the Houston area have gasoline and that the number will increase hourly. Since Saturday morning, shortly after the storm, Shell and Motiva employees have been working around the clock to ensure there is a supply of fuel for people returning to the city. As of Tuesday morning, more than 581 tanker loads equaling 5.2 million gallons of fuel had been shipped to strategic station locations in Houston and along return routes, Shell said.
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