Preparation for oil shortage

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33355, 13 October 1973, Page 16

Preparation for oil shortage

ROGER VIELVOYE. A The Time- through .V ZP A LONDON’. October 12. Full-scale preparations for oil rationing are being made throughout Europe after reports that the Americans are providing ne« supplies of war materials to the Israelis.

First restrictions on exports of refined products from Europe were announced vesterday as the United States Government gave a warning that mandatory allocations of home heating and diesel oils, jet fuels, an 1 kerosene would be disclosed today. Oil industry sources feel that any large-scale shipments of arms could provoke the oil-producing nations in the Persian Gulf into turn-

ing off oil bound for the United States. The industry feels that it will be impossible to institute a selective ban on exports to the United States and that all the main oil-consuming countries will be affected by a reduction in output in the Gulf COUPONS READV Britain has recently overhauled its emergency petrolrationing procedures, and has all the necessan coupons and regulations ready to deliver to po»t offices within hours of a decision to restrict supplies.

Spain, Italy, and Austria have already been hard hit by the Syrian closure of the Iraq oil pipeline terminal at Banias after Israeli commandos raided the installation and set it on fire. Hals and Spain began curbing exports of refined products and Austria put a quota on supplies and appealed tor economies in the use of oil TRIPOLI TERMINAL

A branch of the Iraq oil pipeline into the Lebanese terminal at Tripoli is still open and the tapline linking Saudi Arabia to Lebanon is also working, although oniy at half capacity because of the likelihood of the line's being blown up.

But 93.000 tons of oil are being lost every day and the effects are alreadv being felt by refiners in the Mediterranean. Austria, through its State oil company, has sizeable contracts for oil from Iraq, which is piped in from a terminal in the Adriatic. Austria has imposed daily quotas on the sale of oil, and has said that petrol will not be sold for filling containers —a move against hoarding