After several Guangzhou gas stations ran out of diesel oil Monday, oil companies are increasing diesel oil supplies to the city.

The China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (CPCC) shipped 20,000 tons of diesel oil to Guangzhou on Monday (Nov. 1) and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) promised to sell 40,000 tons of diesel oil in Guangdong this month.

An investigation by the Guangzhou Daily found that about half of the gas stations in Haizhu, Dongshan and Tianhe districts in Guangzhou ran out of diesel oil Monday. However, the BP gas station in Dunhe District said it had plenty of diesel.

The Guangdong branch of the CPCC said the supply of diesel oil from its gas stations was tight for a while Monday afternoon, but returned to normal Monday evening after the company shipped 20,000 tons of diesel oil to Guangzhou.

The CNPC said its 600 gas stations in Guangdong had plenty of diesel oil.

A CNPC spokesman said demand in Guangdong had surged 15 percent from January to September. In recent days, the oil sales in Guangdong surged about 30 to 40 percent, mainly because of the international oil price hike.

The spokesman said the oil shortage in Guangdong would ease Thursday and Friday because international oil prices were falling and the government had vowed to punish illegal price hikes.

Editor: Olivia