Bali Fuel Shortage Disrupts Tourists as Queues Stretch a Kilometre
A fuel shortage in Bali left tourists and residents waiting for hours, with queues stretching up to a kilometre in some places. Authorities blamed distribution…
A fuel shortage in Bali has disrupted holiday plans on the Indonesian resort island, where queues stretched up to a kilometre and some people waited hours to refuel. Authorities blamed distribution delays, while the governor said a new shipment should meet demand for up to seven days.
The disruption left visitors unable to travel as planned. Moldovan tourist Raisa Neagu told AFP she spent hours waiting to fill her scooter on Wednesday (Oct 14), then had to cancel plans to visit the north of the island.
“We were stuck with no petrol. So we couldn't move. We had to cancel all our plans,” Neagu, 43, said.
Her experience reflects the immediate impact of the queues on Bali’s tourism-dependent travel plans: visitors relying on scooters faced delays or had to change where they could go. Residents also reported long waits. Ni Wayan Susiani, a 22-year-old hotel worker, said she waited around five hours to buy fuel for her motorbike.
Bali fuel shortage blamed on delivery delays
Simon Aloysius Mantiri, president director of state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina, said on Tuesday that the disruption followed delays in distribution after a tanker had trouble discharging its cargo. He apologised.
Bali depends on gasoline and diesel shipped to the island. The delivery problem triggered lines at fuel stations even as officials said supplies were available.
A tanker carrying more than 22 million litres of fuel arrived in Bali on Tuesday, Governor I Wayan Koster said. He said the shipment was expected to cover demand on the resort island for up to the next seven days.
“People don't need to worry because the fuel is available,” Koster said, adding that more fuel shipments were expected within the week.
The governor said stations in the tourist-heavy areas of Denpasar and Badung would operate for 24 hours. Fuel deliveries from depots would also run around the clock to ease congestion. He did not say how long the measures would remain in place.
The steps are intended to shorten waits and help people move around while distribution catches up. For tourists, the disruption has already meant cancelled plans; for local workers who depend on motorbikes, hours in line have cut into the day.
Susiani said the situation had left her “annoyed”. “My hope is that this is the last day like this. Hopefully it can return to normal in the days to come,” she told AFP.
Neagu said she was due to fly home on the 21st of October and had hoped to spend her vacation in northern Bali. The shipment, Koster said, is expected to meet the island’s fuel demand for up to seven days.
Source: channelnewsasia.com
