THE Office of the Prime Minister says adequate supplies of asphalt and asphaltic products are now available in the market.

Last week, the Jamaica Observer reported that a shortage of asphalt was severely impacting roadwork across the island. However, according to a release from OPM yesterday, supplies are now available following the resumption of refining operations at the weekend at Petrojam.

The refinery was shut down for routine maintenance for approximately two and half months, the release said. However, during the period, additional maintenance work was required, which extended the downtime of the refinery and resulted in a supply challenge in the asphalt market.

Petrojam General Manager Winston Watson said the company also experienced challenges in sourcing the commodity on the international market.

“Annually, the refinery shuts down for routine and special maintenance activities. When the refinery was down, the company was largely supplying the market with asphalt through importation,” he is quoted as saying in the release.

“With the restart of the refinery, we are now more than able to fulfil all outstanding asphalt orders to the National Work Agency, the National Water Commission and other customers,” he continued. “We wish to apologise to our customers for the delay that occurred while the Process Unit was offline.”

The release said the Asphalt Unit at Petrojam is designed to produce approximately 1,000 barrels per day.

Watson said, too, that the Process Unit is now in full operation, producing the full slate of petroleum products.