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Saipan gas now $5.109 to $5.669 a gallon
Saipan motorists are now paying 15 cents more for every gallon of gas they put in their vehicle, again making the island’s current gas prices of $5.109 to $5.669 a gallon among the highest on American soil. The latest average gas price in the U.S. is $3.648 a gallon.
Mobil Oil Mariana Islands and Shell Marianas increased their Saipan pump prices late Thursday night and Saturday morning, respectively. The highest price now exceeds the CNMI’s current minimum wage of $5.55 an hour.
Regular unleaded gasoline at Mobil service stations and V-Power at Shell stations on Saipan is now $5.109 a gallon, up from $4.959 a gallon.
Super unleaded gasoline at Saipan’s Mobil stations now costs $5.429 a gallon, up from $5.279 a gallon.
Diesel at both Mobil and Shell stations on Saipan is now $5.660 a gallon, an increase from $5.519 a gallon.
“Now we have to work almost an hour so we can buy a gallon of regular gasoline,” Jerry Garcia, a minimum wage earner living in Gualo Rai, told Saipan Tribune yesterday.
Garcia said Saipan motorists can’t do anything about gas price increases, so they have to make their own expense adjustments to make up for the added amount they have to spend on gas. In Garcia’s case, he said he may have to cut down on non-essential expenses, such as alcohol.
Tinian and Rota gas prices remained the same as of yesterday, but historically, they follow Saipan’s price changes within days so motorists can expect increases in Rota and Tinian’s gas prices as early as this week.
As of yesterday, Rota’s regular unleaded gasoline is $5.90 a gallon, while diesel is $6.95 a gallon, based on surveyed prices at Mobil Sasanhaya and Luta Gas.
On Tinian, regular unleaded gasoline is at $6.099 a gallon. Diesel is $6.499 a gallon at Tinian Mobil.
While Saipan motorists now have to deal with a 15-cent increase in pump prices, national media reported that oil prices fell on Friday.
In the CNMI, Mobil and Shell do not issue advance notices for any gas price change.
