PHILIPSBURG--Nearly one-third of fuel dispensers not properly calibrated at fuel stations give less fuel than expected, while just over two-thirds dispense too much fuel, according to the latest controls by Section Economic Control of the Inspectorate of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT).
Following ten controls in September and October, customers and business owners are being told by the Ministry to refrain from using fuel dispensers with a red sticker, as these do not meet the legal test requirements and must be recalibrated and issued a green sticker before being put back into use.
The reference point, or known quantity, used to conduct the calibration checks was 20 litres; testing in other words whether a car owner who puts 20 litres of gasoline in the fuel tank is getting what they paid for. It is required in commercial trade to use calibrated instruments.
The team found during the controls that fuel dispensers on St. Maarten dispersed between ranges of -0.8 litres to +1 litres of fuel (per instance) based on the reference quantity of 20 litres.
Approximately 46 per cent of all fuel dispensers were found to be properly calibrated upon first control. This means that the amount of fuel dispensed was within the +/- 100ml tolerance range of 20 litres.
Approximately 32.4 per cent of fuel dispensers gave less fuel than expected while approximately 67.6 per cent dispensed too much fuel. Those fuel dispensers in need of calibration were issued a red sticker and those passing the calibration test were issued a green calibration sticker with the inspection date written thereon.
The National Ordinance on Calibration 28-02-2013 AB 2013, GT no. 446 contains rules for measuring instruments used in commercial trade, such as the requirements with which the instruments must comply or the conditions under which they may be used.
These measuring instruments are supervised by Inspectorate of Ministry TEATT and tested against the legal requirements. With this calibration and recalibration the government ensures that no faulty equipment is introduced into the market and the instruments used measure correctly, a press release explained.
Commercial traders who use a weighing/measuring device that has not been calibrated and approved by the government can be legally sanctioned ranging from monetary fine to imprisonment.
The Inspectorate encourages all citizens to always request a receipt for any commercial transactions.
For questions, concerns or complaints visit the Inspectorate of Ministry TEATT at Tamarindesteeg #16 (Yellow Building) on Walter Nisbeth Road, call 542-4511/09 or email idez [DOT] inquiries [AT] sintmaartengov [DOT] org.
Many fuel stations dispense too much
