ST JAMES, Jamaica — Thrifty gas stations will extend service hours in key areas, plus coordinate direct delivery to hotels and essential services to ensure critical fuel supply is available across Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.

WIP Energy, a subsidiary of West Indies Petroleum Limited (WIP), says its immediate action plan includes opening the Thrifty gas station in Coral Gardens on a 24-hour basis. The company also emphasised that it will be maintaining fuel pricing at pre-hurricane levels across all locations.

Additional Thrifty locations at Barnett Street and Reading in St James, Falmouth and Stewart Castle (Duncans), Trelawny will resume full operations within a week with opening times extended up to 24 hours to meet the demand.

“We opened the Coral Gardens station to help, but the surge in demand created traffic delays that further complicated access to Montego Bay itself,” said Charles Chambers, CEO of WIP as he noted that the company is ensuring that continuous operations can be sustained without interruption.

“We have sufficient supply to meet the current emergency and by extending the opening hours, we hope to ease some of the congestion issues experienced yesterday,” he said Friday.

“We are committed to supporting Jamaica’s recovery. Our terminal is full, our network is ready, and our resolve is absolute. We are going to do all we can to help our fellow citizens and our country get through this,” Chambers said.