No water was found in the RON95 storage tanks at a Batu Kawan petrol station, the domestic trade and cost of living ministry said (FMT), after social media posts claimed that vehicles failed to start following refuelling at the station.
State director S Jegan said the tanks were inspected on 4 October with a representative from the petrol company and the station owner present. The aim was to identify the cause of the reported problems, including checks for water and other contaminants in the tanks and the fuel dispensing system.
“Thorough checks of the RON95 tanks’ automatic tank gauge, covering the readings taken during the inspection as well as records from the preceding three days, found no readings indicating the presence of water during the period reviewed,” he said in a statement. Physical inspections of the pumps and the tanks also found no accumulation of water beyond normal condensation.
An automatic tank gauge reads a storage tank around the clock and flags any water pooling at its base, which is why the ministry quoted the inspection readings alongside the three days before it.
A manual dipping check on both RON95 tanks used water finding paste spread on a measuring stick before it was lowered into the tank, Sinar Harian reported. The paste changes colour when water is present, and neither tank showed a colour change.
Jegan said visual checks of fuel dispensed from all pump nozzles found the petrol clear, with no contamination detectable to the naked eye. The ministry, the oil company and the station operator will continue follow-up action, with consumer interests and safety given priority.
The checks followed posts that went viral on social media alleging that vehicles had problems, including being unable to start, after refuelling at several petrol stations around Penang. The posts attributed the trouble to water-contaminated fuel, a claim the authorities had not confirmed when the ministry dispatched a team to investigate. The Penang office said it had taken note of the complaints and would report back once the checks were done.
Water in a fuel tank stops the engine from burning the mixture properly, which can leave a car stalling or refusing to start. Contamination usually reaches a tank through worn seals, a faulty filler cap or condensation building up when a tank runs low.
Jegan advised the public against drawing early conclusions from information circulating online. Complaints and tips related to the issue can go to the KPDN e-aduan portal at eaduan.kpdn.gov.my, the call centre on 1-800-886-800, or the EzADU application.
