Sat May 24 19:08:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Tanker drivers supplying Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) from the Ennore terminal in Chennai, India, have begun a strike due to a dispute over a new transport tender that proposes lower rates. This action, which began on Saturday, has already caused partial fuel shortages at some smaller retail outlets. The drivers’ association is demanding the old rates be continued or the new rates increased, citing financial hardship. They threaten to extend the strike to all oil companies and halt aviation fuel supplies entirely if the issue isn’t resolved by Monday.

**News Article:**

**Fuel Shortages Loom as BPCL Tanker Drivers Strike in Chennai**

**CHENNAI, May 25, 2025** – Partial fuel shortages are being reported at smaller retail outlets in Chennai following a strike by tanker drivers transporting fuel for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). Approximately 150 tankers from the BPCL Ennore terminal have ceased operations in protest of a new transport tender that proposes a 15% reduction in transport rates.

The Chennai Asanur Petroleum Tanker Lorry Association claims the new rates would be unsustainable, especially after financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and a terminal relocation. Association president E. Moorthy stated that drivers have already been struggling financially.

“We had been badly hit during Covid-19 and also when the company’s terminal was shifted from Tondiarpet to Ennore. Business has not been bad only during the last two years,” he said.

The strike, which began on Saturday, has led to disruptions in fuel supplies, with some smaller outlets already experiencing partial “dry-outs.” While outlets with their own tankers are attempting to help, it is reportedly insufficient.

The association is threatening to escalate the strike, extending it to all three major oil companies and halting aviation fuel supplies from Tuesday if BPCL does not form a committee to address their concerns. K. Velu, the association’s general secretary, warned, “If the issue is not resolved by Monday, we will stop operating tanker lorries to all the three oil companies.” The association represents around 700 tanker lorries.

The situation is developing rapidly, and consumers are advised to monitor local fuel availability.

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