Togo Launches Fuel Marking

Togo has launched a fuel marking system, initially for subsidised industrial diesel, but rapidly extending, in a second phase, to unleaded gasoline and road diesel.

The system, provided by SICPA, comprises invisible forensic molecular markers injected into the fuel in extremely low, but precisely measured concentrations. The markers can be detected in the market with portable analysers, which confirm marker presence and quantity, at the same time feeding data into an integrity management system that enables automated monitoring, alerts, and traceability.

The markers are accompanied by a new regulatory measure to strengthen customs oversight of petroleum products, which takes effect in July. This requires every fuel truck departing from Togo’s fuel terminals to submit a detailed customs declaration to the Togolese revenue authority before they can leave the terminal.

However, the declarations are not currently supported by physical checks at the terminals to confirm whether the fuel is correctly marked – or, indeed, whether it is marked at all.