RON95 contamination: Caltex, Petron drafting recovery programme for affected customers

KUALA LUMPUR: Oil companies Petron and Caltex are developing a customer recovery program to compensate motorists whose vehicles were damaged due to issues with contaminated RON95 petrol. This initiative is being carried out on a goodwill basis, without admitting any wrongdoing or liability at this stage, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

The compensation will be provided to customers who submit complete complaints along with valid supporting documents. So far, 262 samples of RON95 petrol collected from eight states and three depot locations have been analyzed. Preliminary findings from the Chemistry Department, dated October 29, revealed no evidence of water contamination, with water content found to be below 0.05 percent, the lab's minimum detectable limit.

Further analysis is ongoing to determine if other foreign substances or fuel formulation issues were involved. The ministry is also comparing Malaysia's fuel quality standards and supply chain monitoring practices with those of Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Australia to prevent similar incidents in the future.