(Bloomberg) -- French refineries remained shut and gas stations ran dry as unions held their fourth strike in two months against President Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age.
French oil companies plan to share supplies and transport in order to combat shortages, says Jean-Louis Schilansky, head of refiners' group Union Francaise des Industries Petroliers.
⌠We have the products in the depots but we can't get them to where they're needed, Schilansky said. ⌠We will work on a coordination of all operators.
France's 12 refineries have been on strike for a week, and no crude is arriving at the ports of Marseille, Le Havre and Nantes.
Exxon Mobil Corp. declared ⌠force majeure, in France, saying it will be unable to meet some of its oil supply obligations and that it has begun shutting down its Gravenchon refinery, the larger of its two oil-processors in the country.
Total SA, the country's biggest oil company, said a quarter of the 4,000 service stations it operates in France face shortages of one or more fuel products because of the strike.