U.S. gas stations emptied due to panic purchases after the pipeline was hacked

On Tuesday night, there was a severe fuel shortage along the eastern coast of the United States due to drivers rushing to gas stations.

The panic purchases in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia took place during the shutdown of the colonial pipeline. The colony pipeline lasted until the fifth day. This huge artery provided the eastern United States with fuel refined on the Gulf Coast.

Although politicians asked drivers to stay calm, the gas station was still running, and the operator Colony Pipeline promised to resume “substantial” operations this weekend.

According to data provider GasBuddy, 40% of gas stations in Atlanta, Georgia had no gasoline on Tuesday night, 61% in Wilmington, North Carolina, and 37% in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, said: “With more and more panic, this situation is rapidly getting worse.”

North Carolina was the worst-hit state, with one-seventh of the stations in a state of drought. The governor of the state, Roy Cooper, urged motorists to remain calm. He said earlier on Tuesday that he was taking “full court news” to resume operation of the pipeline. “Report price fraud, please don’t rush to refuel your tank,” He tweeted.

But images widely circulated on social media on Tuesday showed drivers filled with Jerry cans and lined up in the front yard to replenish cars, indicating that calls in some parts of the country were not taken seriously.

Since last Friday, the FBI has stated that the organization has been attacked for ransom and that the colony’s pipeline has been closed. Hacker group It’s called DarkSide. A 5,500-mile network transports gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from refineries in the Gulf of Mexico to markets on the East Coast of the United States.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm (Jennifer Granholm) said on Tuesday that the chief executive of the pipeline operator had said: ” [Wednesday], Then Colonial will be able to make a complete restart decision.”

She said: “But even if this decision is made, it will take a few days to expand the business.”

In order to alleviate the crisis, the U.S. government has Issue emergency powers Remove restrictions on the number of hours truck drivers can increase on road fuel. It extended the exemption to the 18th state on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation also Say It is considering exempting shippers Jones ActThis law requires ships sailing between US ports to use US flag ships, which will enable foreign tankers to transport fuel between the Gulf Coast and the eastern coast.

Since the start of the shutdown, the gasoline futures for June delivery in the United States have remained basically stable due to traders betting that the supply will return to normal.

However, oil prices have soared. According to data from the Auto Drivers Association AAA, the national average gasoline price reached $2.99 ​​per gallon on Tuesday, the highest level since November 2014.

According to the American Automobile Association, the southeastern states of the United States are still one of the cheapest gasoline markets, but prices there are also rising.

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as of April 30, there were 23.8 million barrels of gasoline stored in the southeastern United States, 9% less than the average. Fuel wholesalers can reduce these inventories until service is restored on the pipeline, which carries 45% of the fuel consumed on the east coast.

However, Jeff Lenard, vice president of NACS Strategic Industry Planning, the Convenience Store Industry Association, said, “In many cases, consumers’ response to this interference is twice or three times the normal demand.” “People are worried about where their next tutoring will come from, so they make sure to get tutoring today.”