Comprehensive inspection of gasoline quality follows allegations of adulterated fuel.

Inspectors from the Ministry of Science and Technology have tested gasoline samples from numerous burned vehicles and 3,000 gasoline and diesel samples nationwide to conduct a wide-ranging investigation into quality. Experts believe there may be other reasons for vehicle fires.

The quality of gasoline is the biggest concern in recent car fires. (Illustrative image)

Speaking to the press, the Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Tran Minh Dung, said that in light of the numerous vehicle fires and explosions that have occurred, the agency will continue to conduct a large-scale inspection of gasoline and diesel quality. Previously, the Ministry's Inspectorate had directed the collection of 3,000 gasoline and diesel samples nationwide for a comprehensive assessment of quality.

“Regarding the recent car and motorbike fires, we need to take a cautious look at them and not be suspicious. Fuel samples from the burned vehicles have been collected for testing. After testing some of the fuel from the burned vehicles, we have not detected any impurities. However, other tests are still underway. The Ministry will provide accurate information to the public on whether the fires were caused by gasoline before the Lunar New Year 2012,” Mr. Dung said.

Regarding the management of gasoline and diesel quality, Mr. Dung stated that the import process is very strict; only those meeting quality standards are allowed to import. If they don't meet the standards, they must be reprocessed, and if the reprocessing is still unsuccessful, they must be re-exported. The main reason for substandard quality is measurement fraud (fraudulent quantities).

In fact, the issue of quality fraud has increased. Most recently, during an inspection of gasoline stations in Ho Chi Minh City, authorities discovered abnormalities in the octane rating (a high flammability index). In some other localities, high octane ratings, water, or methanol in gasoline have also been detected.

Regarding this issue, some experts argue that a fire cannot occur without gasoline. However, for a fire to happen, an electrical spark or heat source is necessary. In reality, many vehicle owners currently neglect things like regular maintenance, oil changes, and the installation of additional equipment, leading to increased engine load, exposed connections, and the creation of electrical sparks.

On the other hand, according to experts, some imported motorcycles currently have their headlights always on, so some owners have removed the IC chip and bypassed the power to avoid damaging the battery. This is also one of the causes that needs to be thoroughly investigated.

Regarding the quality control situation of gasoline and oil businesses, Mr. Dung added: In the first six months of 2011, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Science and Technology directed inspections in 48 out of 63 provinces and cities, covering 1,537 gasoline and oil businesses; handling 97 businesses that violated regulations (including 43 receiving warnings and 54 receiving administrative fines) with a total fine of over 516 million VND. For example, in Dong Thap, 4 out of 74 businesses were found to be in violation and fined 40 million VND; in Gia Lai, 6 out of 31 businesses were found to be in violation and fined 85,700,000 VND, recovering 70,806,483 VND in illicit profits; and in Long An, 3 out of 9 businesses were found to be in violation and fined 78 million VND...

Common violations include using uninspected or expired fuel dispensers; faulty fuel dispensers that fail to meet measurement requirements or have errors exceeding permissible limits; incorrect labeling of goods, including suspected cases of selling gasoline of the wrong type (mixing 83 octane gasoline with color to sell as 93 octane gasoline). Notably, in Gia Lai, one establishment was found to have installed chips to alter the characteristics of measuring instruments. Additionally, authorities discovered another establishment that removed inspection stickers from ICs and used substandard measuring instruments. This establishment was fined 32 million VND...

Previously, during an inspection in 2008, the Inspectorate also discovered many violations at gasoline and oil businesses, such as: fraudulent measurement practices (at that time, electronic devices (chips) and sophisticated technical manipulations could be used to cheat consumers on quantity, not quality).

According to Dan Tri