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U.S. East Coast fuel shortages continue to worsen despite pipeline's restart
CGTN
A Colonial Pipeline storage tank at a facility in the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., May 12, 2021. /VCG

A Colonial Pipeline storage tank at a facility in the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., May 12, 2021. /VCG

Gasoline shortages in many states on the east coast of the U.S. continue to worsen, despite the restarting operations of the Colonial Pipeline after a ransomware attack.

The nation's top fuel pipeline resumed computer-controlled pumping late Wednesday after adding safety measures. But it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal along its 8,850-kilometer route, the company said late Thursday.

About 71 percent of gas stations in North Carolina, 55 percent in Virginia, and 49 percent in Georgia ran out of gasoline as of 7 a.m. on Thursday, according to GasBuddy, an app that helps users find a gas station.

Industry insiders suggested that although the pipeline resumed pumping after a six-day shutdown, it will take days or even weeks to replenish stocks that ran out due to motorists' panic buying, as the flow rate of fuel through the pipeline with a total length of nearly 9,000 kilometers is only about 8 kilometers per hour.

Gasoline inventories in the Northeast likely will fall to five-year lows this week, Richard Joswick, an analyst with S&P Global Platts, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The average national gasoline price rose above $3 a gallon, the highest since October 2014, the American Automobile Association said.

The Colonial Pipeline, which carries almost half the fuel consumed on the U.S. East Coast, was forced to close following a ransomware cyberattack a week ago. Ransomware is a type of malware designed to lock computers by encrypting data. The hackers demand payment to let the owner regain access.

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(With input from agencies)

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