13 April 2022 – Authentix and FAS Authentication have been awarded a contract to pilot marking and securing fuel being delivered through Transnet Pipelines (TPL), the largest multi-product operator in Southern Africa. The technology will allow TPL to mark and trace petroleum products in their custody and support authorities in taking enforcement action if product is stolen or diverted. The scope of the program includes supplying proprietary covert chemical markers to differentiate fuel streams under TPL’s custody from the intake to delivery point. Transnet will test the performance of the tracing technology during this contract period and decide if further expansion of the program is warranted.
Transnet Pipelines transports approximately 17 billion litres of hydrocarbons and methane-rich gas through a network of over 3,000 km of petroleum and gas pipeline infrastructure. Naturally, challenges exist in protecting the integrity of these fuels during transit. TPL has witnessed an alarming increase in the frequency of product theft. These illegal activities cost the government and major fuel companies millions of Rand – as well as threaten the environment, health, and safety of South Africans.
As part of this pilot contract, the Authentix/FAS consortium will manage all in-country logistics for the program including security, warehousing, personnel, and infrastructure as well as the application of the core technology, enabling hardware, and custom analyzers. The solution will include the Authentix Information System (AXIS®), a cloud-based data information platform, to enable tracking, compliance, and enforcement when illicit or stolen fuel products are found in the supply chain. This fuel integrity system will provide fuel product authentication via inert and environmentally friendly technologies.
Authentix’s fuel integrity programs have helped dozens of national governments and international corporations to recover billions of dollars in lost revenue due to illicit trading and theft.