ZAMBIAN fuel tanker trailer drivers will now fetch fuel from the Mozambican port of Beira because the Dar-es Salaam corridor has proved a hurdle for Zambians.

Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) secretary general Benson Tembo urged the Ministry of Energy to immediately direct all supplies of fuel the Port of Beira as a retaliatory move because authorities in Tanzania were allegedly Mr. Tembo appealed to government to impose a measure that would compel all transporters of its fuel from Tanzania to work as sub-contractors to Zambian firms as a reciprocation move.

“We have now diverted all our fuel tankers to Mozambique and Tanzanian tanker trailer drivers that will enter Zambia will have themselves to blame because we shall sort them out until the two governments resolve the debacle against us in that country,” fuel transporters have warned.

Speaking yesterday, Mr. Tembo said his association has since stopped sending trucks to Tanzania until Lusaka brought their Tanzanian counterpart to the discussion table.

“We have since opted to send trucks to Beira in Mozambique. We are now appealing to the Ministry of Energy to compel all contracted Zambian fuel suppliers to start using the Beira route. “In reaction to this unfortunate law by the Tanzanian government and to act as a retaliatory measure, we are asking our government to impose a measure that will only allow Tanzanian truckers to work as sub-contractors to Zambian transporters in the transportation of fuel and Copper to Dar-es- Salaam,” Mr. Tembo said.

He said the Zambian government had been too lenient on Tanzanian transporters and that time to protect its own businesses had now come.

“This is how Tanzania treats Zambian transporters as no Zambian loads independently from the Tanzanian transporters or citizens. We appeal to government to impose this measure without notice and compel all mining houses and suppliers touit. Tanzania has more to lose than Zambia,” he said. Tanzania passed a regulation to reduce the volume of goods carried by road by about four tonnes through its Vehicle Load Control Act which came into effect yesterday and provides for a penalty of US$15, 000 or a three year jail term on offenders. However, Zambian transporters claim the regulation was targeting Zambian tankers because Tanzania tankers were capable modifying tanker trailers but Zambians could not. This means Zambian tanker drivers ferrying fuel from Tanzania will be coming back almost half empty because of the reduction volume of the commodity to be ferried.