PHILIPSBURG--Motorists will have to pay 31 guilder cents more per litre for unleaded gasoline as of Friday morning when yet another gas and diesel price increase takes effect. The price adjustment was announced by the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication on Wednesday morning.
The price for unleaded gasoline will be NAf. 2.73 per litre, up from NAf. 2.42 per litre. The last time the price for unleaded gas was increased was on April 2. That increase took the price from NAf. 2.33 per litre to the current price.
The price for diesel fuel will be NAf. 2.33 per litre as of Friday, an increase from NAf. 2.30. The diesel price was already increased on Sunday from NAf. 2.17 per litre to the current price that will be increased yet again on Friday.
"St. Maarten is a small non-oil producing economy, and is directly influenced by the global price of crude oil or its derivatives," the ministry said in a press statement, adding that international oil prices "can be highly volatile and uncertain due to various factors."
At present, a combination of increasing demand due to several major disasters, including the Japan earthquake and conflicts in the Middle East, and speculation are creating a ripple effect throughout the world, resulting in higher prices at the pump.
