Despite the new increase in the maximum allowable price (MAP) or wholesale prices of all petroleum products sold in American Samoa, Office of Petroleum Management’s petroleum officer Sione Kava said, “We still remain [with] the cheapest price in our region.”

The new MPA is effective Feb 14- Mar 15, and shows an increase in the MAP due to the hike in crude oil prices. “This translates to an average increase of 6 cents per gallon in Base Price for diesel; 6 cents per gallon for gasoline and 2 cents per gallon on jet fuel imported and sold in American Samoa,” Kava said yesterday.

On the cost of transportation, diesel increase by 6 cents per gallon, gasoline hike by 5 cents per gallon and jet fuel jump to 6 cents per gallon, he said and explained that transportation cost went up with any political turmoil in OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) area.

“This time it is the US continued issues with Iran and recently, North Korea,” he said, adding that the Base Price and Transportation cost makes for over 57% of the MAP on diesel, and 61% of gasoline and jet fuel sold on island. “These costs are determined by the global market and American Samoa and the rest of the region for that matter have very little to do with it.”

Effective yesterday, the new MAP for gasoline stands at nearly $2.75 per gallon, an increase of 12 cents per gallon from the previous MAP. And it’s also a 12-cent per gallon increase in the new MAP for diesel — for road diesel as well as boilers and generators.

Based on the previous MAP the retail price at the pumps for gasoline was $3.12 per gallon; and for diesel at $3.17 per gallon. With the new MAP, the new average for gasoline is $3.24 per gallon and diesel at $3.29 per gallon at local gas stations.

Kava emphasized that the “government does negotiate for the most reasonable MAP price but has no control over the retail price at the gas stations.”

For other petroleum products new MAP prices are:

•     Commercial fishing vessels (nearly $1.30 per gallon) and other marine diesel (about $2.33 per gallon) — an increase of 16 cents per gallon;

•  Jet fuel and kerosene, an increase of 9 cents; and,

•     Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel for road diesel (which is used by new school busses) and boilers and generators (used by new generators at the Satala Power Plan) hiked by 12 cents per gallon.

OPM plans to release next week a look at local and regional fuel price survey and comparison.