Bali fuel supply delays spark long station queues and panic buying

Motorists on the Indonesian island of Bali faced hours-long queues at petrol stations on Wednesday, 14 October, Euronews reported. Disrupted fuel deliveries caused traffic to spill onto surrounding roads across multiple parts of the island, according to Euronews and the South China Morning Post. Reports from the South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asia, and Bloomberg confirm that fuel shortages and long lines hit the resort island, including the capital city Denpasar. [1][2][3][11]

The long lines forced some drivers to wait up to seven hours in the heat to purchase fuel, Euronews reported. Officials attributed the disruption to distribution delays rather than a complete shortage of island-wide stocks, according to Euronews. The state-owned energy company Pertamina explained that a tanker anchor issue delayed fuel unloading, while heavy road congestion slowed subsequent deliveries to local service stations. [1]

Panic buying by local residents intensified the distribution problems, Euronews reported. Demand was particularly high for cheaper, subsidised Pertalite petrol, according to Euronews. Bali Governor Wayan Koster urged residents not to panic and reassured the public that fuel remained available. [1]

The South China Morning Post reported that severe queues affected several regions across the island, including Denpasar, Badung, and Tabana. Bali is a volcanic island in Indonesia measuring 5,780 square kilometers, situated just east of Java across the narrow Bali Strait. [3][16]