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1st gas price increase of 2023
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Posted on Jan 18 2023
The CNMI saw its first gas price increase of 2023, and the first rise in months, yesterday afternoon. (KIMBERLY B. ESMORES)
The CNMI saw its first gas price increase of 2023, and the first rise in months, yesterday afternoon.
Mobil Oil Marianas took the lead with the unexpected fuel price hike yesterday afternoon, bringing it up by 15 cents within the first few weeks of January.
What made the increase so surprising, according to some residents, is that the price of fuel has been gradually dropping in the last few months, just to be hit with an increase early into the new year.
Late yesterday afternoon, Mobil Oil increased its Extra and Supreme fuel by 15 cents. Although Shell Marianas had yet to increase its prices yesterday, the two oil companies typically mirror each other’s price adjustments. Shell Marianas is expected to increase its prices today.
With this latest increase, a gallon of Mobil’s Extra Fuel has gone up from $4.96 a gallon to $5.11. Supreme Fuel also saw a price hike from $5.41 per gallon to $5.56 while diesel saw a slight drop from $6.08 to $6.03 per gallon.
The CNMI had seen several increases in fuel prices over the last half of 2022. The latest increase was back in October 2022, but it was short-lived as fuel prices saw a number of rollbacks in the following months, with gas reaching the $4 mark back in December.
According to a 39-year-old local motorist, she wasn’t expecting an increase so soon.
“I was a bit shocked to pull up to the gas pump to find that gas had increased 15 cents. I mean I expected an increase, but maybe around March or February. We’re so early into the New Year and we’re hit with an increase, it was unexpected,” she said.
Another motorist, a 43-year-old man, was not as surprised. “We’ve been blessed with a number of rollbacks and it’s been good, considering gas was at the $7 mark early last year. We were bound to see an increase soon. Fifteen cents won’t break the bank right now but if this trend continues—which I hope it doesn’t—it may,” he said.
A worker at Mobil stated that they were just as surprised as everyone else.
“We aren’t informed beforehand of any increase so, just like the public, we were surprised. We can only hope that gas won’t get ridiculously high again like last year. But who knows,” he said.
