Nicosia, Cyprus. Fuel tanker owners protested outside the presidential palace on Tuesday, requesting more time to comply with ADR requirements for transporting flammable liquids. They handed a memorandum to deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou seeking President Nikos Christodoulides’ intervention.
Protest and demands
About 50 trucks gathered at the GSP stadium in Nicosia at 10am before proceeding to the presidential palace.
The owners objected to a transport ministry decree which they said could immobilise up to 90 per cent of fuel tankers under the new requirements.
Petrol station owners’ association chairman Savvas Prokopiou said the owners were not opposed to the decree but required additional time to comply.
“This is an issue that should have been sorted out with a timeframe,” he said.
Transport department response
A representative of the road transport department, known as TOM, said tanker owners had 18 years to comply with mandatory ADR requirements, including one year since the transport ministry set a compliance deadline.
The representative said allowing tankers without ADR certification on the roads posed safety risks in the event of an accident and described the association’s position as weak.
Replacement and funding
Prokopiou said most tankers could remain in use with limited modifications, while others would need replacement through funding.
He said up to 50 tankers required replacement and that subsidies would not exceed €4 million.
Government response
Antoniou told protesters that he would convey the memorandum to the president. He said efforts would be made to find a solution to assist the owners, while stressing that safety remained a priority.