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Total under fire!
By Mark Thompson
Staff reporter
• French oil company feels threatened
A series of attacks on its properties and personnel have left the management of the French-owned oil company Total Jamaica Limited (TJL) apprehensive and mystified.
The Sunday Herald has learnt that arsonists have been targeting Total’s petrol stations since last year, with the most recent incident taking place early Friday February 24 at the Heroes’ Circle station.
According to Luc Maiche, managing director, refining and marketing of TJL, the incident took place about 3 a.m., some seven hours after closing time.
“One pump was burnt…someone did it intentionally to disrupt our operations. We don’t know much more details than that, but the police are investigating and we are waiting to hear from them,” he said.
Two vehicles assigned to two operational managers were gutted by the flames initiated by persons bent on sending a clear and menacing message to Total. Maiche declined to comment on the matter, citing security reasons. However, he gave the impression that things were very much vague.
The head office of the French-based oil giant on Ruthven Road also had a near brush with fire two weeks ago when the staff discovered black smoke and soot on a section of the building.
TJL’s problems extend beyond the seemingly inscrutable incendiary acts. The company’s Boulevard gas station has been plagued by robberies ever since Total set up operations in Jamaica in April 2004.
“I don’t know how many robberies have taken place at the Boulevard station, but we’ve had several hold ups there,” confirmed Maiche.
Sunday Herald sources point to 20 robberies at the station, which is in close proximity to communities such as Marverly, Drewsland and Waterhouse.
Irate D’Cambre
Additionally, Roy D’Cambre, the former owner of the National chain of service stations, which sold out to Total, has demanded US$800,000 (J$52 million) that he claimed was owed to him. He placed his speedboat in front of TJL’s Harbour View service station on land he said he owned, disrupting operations there.
An irate D’Cambre reportedly declared that this would be the first of three measures he was prepared to employ to recover his money. However, Total has disclosed that the money in question is in escrow because D’Cambre failed to “remedy” unnamed obstacles to delivering titles. Maiche declined to shed any further light on the issue.
According to D’Cambre, the issue with the titles involved the covenant, which he has been trying to rectify for the past 18 months. He disclosed that Total’s management ran out of patience and decided to keep the funds in escrow and sort out the matter themselves.
“They claim that they are entitled to keep the money and maybe they are,” he said.
He indicated that he was not currently pursuing legal action in that regard. However, in a matter that D’Cambre would like to consider separate, he announced plans to reinstate the speedboat blockade on the Harbour View station.
“They want to use the land as they like…I have written to them offering the land for sale but they have not replied,” he said. “Of course, the asking price for the land is over US$800,000.”
Business good
D’Cambre sold the National chain for an estimated $600 million, handing over 23 petrol stations to TSL, a quantity that represented 10 per cent of Jamaica’s retail market.
Total is the world’s fourth-largest integrated listed oil and gas company, with 111,000 employees spanning operations in more than 130 countries.
Maiche indicated that the French company decided to invest in Jamaica because of the potential it presented for doing good business. Despite the current challenges facing the company, Maiche remains confident and positive about the situation.
“We’ve found that doing business here has been good up until now. Jamaicans have been very receptive to Total and we are happy to be here. Business is good,” Maiche said.
Total under fire!