*THE IMAGE IS ILLUSTRATIVE

The first Saturday in August, when European tourists return from their summer holiday spent in July while others only set off south at the beginning of August in search of the sun, is the busiest day at the busiest petrol station in Europe.

Not even rising fuel prices have deterred tens of thousands of car, motorcycle and truck drivers from filling their tanks at Shell's Berchem petrol station in southern Luxembourg, on the packed A3 motorway. The Grand Duchy may be small, but it lies at the crossroads between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands and the route south, toward the sunny beaches of France, Italy and Spain.

And, most importantly, in a summer marked by rising prices, fuel there is cheap, which makes Shell's Berchem petrol station the most desirable for truck drivers and families who carefully watch their household budget.

Even outside the holiday rush, French and German drivers and cross-border workers often fill their fuel tanks in Luxembourg. When the family summer destination is on the Mediterranean, and a full tank costs more than 100 euros, the savings add up.

On Saturday, two tankers with a capacity of 40,000 litres of fuel were ready to make 16 to 20 round trips a day so that the petrol and diesel pumps could operate non-stop, ready for countless campers crowded into the विशाल parking lot.

At the beginning of the year, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and difficulties in global supply chains caused by the coronavirus pandemic, fuel prices jumped, and oil giants made enormous profits. Now prices are falling somewhat, and governments have stepped in with subsidies, so France has reduced the price of fuel at petrol stations by 18 cents, and by September the reduction will amount to 30 cents.

On Saturday, AFP paid 1.79 euros for a litre of petrol in Brussels, with the average price in Belgium at 1.867 euros per litre. In Luxembourg's Berchem, however, a litre costs 1.63 euros, and drivers from almost all over Europe do not mind having to wait in lines. There are also truck drivers at that station from as far away as Cyprus, Poland and Ireland.

“This perfect location in the middle of Europe and favourable prices give us an advantage,” said Daniel Calderon, manager of that largest Shell petrol station.

According to him, the crowds have not dampened the spirits of cheerful drivers who, after two years of pandemic restrictions, are eagerly anticipating their summer holiday.

Source: Slobodna Dalmacija