Twenty Gasoline Stations Closed For Non Compliance
Following the Shell gas station accident last October in Escazú and in an attempt to make refuelling safer, the Dirección de Combustibles del Ministerio del Ambiente (Minae), has been keeping a close eye on gasoline stations, as licenses for the majority of the stations came due last February 28.

The Minae undertook a review of all the pending licenses and decided to complete a close inspection of each gasoline station before renewing their license. Twenty stations did not pass the test and have had their operations suspended.

The 20 station owners were duly notified and now face the process of making the required changes before they can begin to dispense fuel again.

A Minae spokesperson said that the majority of the gasoline station owners accepted the decision and are working on making the changes, while some, however, will be fighting the decision. In any event, the Minae is allowing the affected station owners to continue to sell gasoline until their tanks are empty.

In total Minae inspected 346 gasoline stations in all parts of the country. The inspection process began last January and with the support of the Ministerio de Salud (Health ministry), which conducted a health inspection of each station.

According to the Minae report, the 20 stations that did not pass the inspection had serious code violations in risk against human life and contamination of the environment.

Minae says that another 185 gasoline stations were found with lesser violations and will have three months to comply or face closure as well, while the balance of the stations (141) all passed the inspections.

Only one station in San José did not make the grade, that is the servicentro La Sabana - the Esso gasoline station in front of the La Sabana park at the Paseo Colón.

The closed gasoline stations are:

1.   Estación de Servicio La Central
2.   Servicentro Cutris
3.   Servicentro La Managua
4.   Servicentro Zenén Ruiz e hijos
5.   Servicentro Ciudad Quesada
6.   Servicentro Cariblanco
7.   Servicentro Playa Naranjo
8.   Estación de Servicio Santa Gertrudis
9.   Estación de Servicio Jorco
10. Disgas del Norte
11. Gasolinera Chachagua
12. Servicentro Daytona
13. Servicentro La Sabana
14. Servicios Hermanos Sánchez Víquez
15. Servicentro Las Ruinas
16. Repuestos La Bomba Ltda.
17. Total Alajuela
18. Gasolinera Río Tempisque.
19. Servicentro Las Marías
10. Bomba Filadelfia

Source: Minae