The public has been urged to only buy the fuel they need amid supply issues facing emergency services as a result of blockades across the country.
The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) met to assess the impacts of blockades formed as part of protests over fuel prices across the country.
In a statement this evening, the NECG said fuel supplies for emergency response vehicles, including ambulances and fire services, were coming under increasing pressure as a result of the blockades.
It said these emergency vehicles rely on retail fuel forecourts for their fuel supply through the use of fuel cards.
Fire services across Ireland have put in places contingencies to manage the restricted availability of fuel, while non-essential activities such as training activities and responses to non-life threating call-outs will be restricted in order to preserve fuel, the NECG said.
The NECG was also informed of serious concern about the impact that fuel supply shortages are having on the National Ambulance Service (NAS).
It said: "Contingency arrangements have been put in place to manage the impact of fuel supply shortages.
"While the NAS continues to respond to 999 calls and life-threatening and clinically urgent calls, inter-hospital transfers, and ambulance transport services for routine care and discharges are being curtailed."
More than 100 fuel stations across the country are currently out of supply, with the number potentially rising to 500 today, it added.
The NECG also heard that there is growing concern from international shipping companies about the ability to offload stock at some Irish ports and are monitoring the ongoing impact of these delays on their operations.
Depot blockades leading to national fuel shortage
Blockades of fuel depots in Limerick and Galway, as well as at the country's only refinery in Cork, are starting to lead to fuel shortages countrywide.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that the blockades have caused a situation whereby Ireland is "on the precipice of turning oil away from the country" in the middle of a global oil supply crisis.
He referenced the situations of an oil tanker off the coast of Galway and the oil refinery in Cork.
The tanker off Galway has 6 million litres of agri and white diesel along with kerosene home heating oil. It is not able to offload the fuel because tanks are full at the depot due to the ongoing blockade.
The Whitegate oil refinery in Cork is the only oil refinery in the country. A blockade at the site continues.
"It is unconscionable, it is illogical, it is difficult to comprehend."
Yesterday, service stations in the south and west ran out of diesel and petrol and by this morning more than 100 forecourts had run dry, according to industry body Fuels for Ireland.
RTÉ News understands demand for fuel at service stations is around four times higher than normal, which is putting additional pressure on supplies.
Around half of Ireland's fuel supplies come in via the Foynes depot in Limerick, the Galway harbour depot, and the Whitegate refinery in east Cork.
Most of the rest of the country's fuel enters through Dublin Port, which has not been blockaded, however, traffic disruption around the capital is causing problems with restocking service stations on the east coast.
It is estimated that by tonight around 500 service stations across the country - not just in the south or west - could run out of stock.
Industry sources believe there is now a real risk of widespread stockout conditions at the weekend and into next week.
It is understood that even if the fuel blockades end today and normal supply lines are restored, it could take up to a week to restore normal fuel supply levels on forecourts across the country.
The blockades are also having a significant knock-on effect on incoming fuel cargo, as terminals cannot be emptied to free up space for fuel coming in via ocean tankers.
