Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Indonesia\u2019s Ombudsman (ORI) has said that fuel\ndistribution problems vary from region to region, requiring an\nassessment of supply availability, delivery accuracy and whether quotas\nmatch public needs.<\/p>\n
Ombudsman member Abdul Ghofar said the findings came from preliminary\nmonitoring conducted on 17\u201318 October 2026, drawing on data and\ninformation collected by 34 regional Ombudsman offices.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on information from regional energy and mineral resources\noffices, Pertamina Patra Niaga\u2019s regional offices, petrol station\nsupervisors, members of the public, experts and other relevant parties,\nseveral factors contribute to fuel queues,\u201d Ghofar said in a statement\nconfirmed in Jakarta on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The most commonly identified factors, in order, were shifts in fuel\nuse due to price differences between fuel types, distribution obstacles,\nsurges in demand, misuse of fuel\u2014including hoarding and illicit\nresale\u2014quota limitations, panic buying, restrictions on purchases,\nservice disruptions and specific fuel-filling schedules.<\/p>\n
In response to long queues and shortages of subsidised fuel in\nseveral regions, the Ombudsman summoned the Ministry of Energy and\nMineral Resources (ESDM), state oil company PT Pertamina (Persero), PT\nPertamina Patra Niaga and the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency\n(BPH Migas) in Jakarta on Tuesday, 20 October.<\/p>\n
The summons sought information about the Ombudsman\u2019s preliminary\nfindings on the provision, distribution and oversight of subsidised and\ncompensated fuel.<\/p>\n
Ghofar stressed that queues and shortages must be considered\nholistically, taking into account not only supply availability but also\ndemand planning, distribution and oversight of deliveries.<\/p>\n
\u201cA comprehensive evaluation is therefore needed to prevent the same\nproblems from recurring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Ombudsman also found that petrol stations had run out of fuel in\nsix provinces. The highest number of cases was recorded in Lampung and\nSouth Kalimantan, followed by West Sumatra, Aceh, Highland Papua and\nEast Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
In addition to the stockouts, monitoring found long queues at petrol\nstations across 17 provinces: South Kalimantan, Lampung, Riau, Southeast\nSulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Bali, West Sulawesi, Bengkulu, East\nKalimantan, West Sumatra, West Java, Aceh, the Special Region of\nYogyakarta, Jambi, West Nusa Tenggara, Highland Papua and South\nPapua.<\/p>\n
One issue of particular concern to the Ombudsman was a disruption to\nfuel supplies in Bali in mid-October 2026.<\/p>\n
ORI monitoring found that long queues from 12 to 15 October were\nlinked to difficulties supplying fuel by sea, including a technical\nproblem with the anchor of the MT Prima XP, which delayed its scheduled\nberthing by about 15.5 hours on 12 October.<\/p>\n
The vessel, which had been due to berth at 6.30 am Central Indonesia\nTime (WITA), was only able to dock at 10 pm. The situation was\ncompounded by limited fuel reserves at the distribution terminal, rising\npublic demand and excessive purchases driven by panic after reports of\nshortages circulated.<\/p>\n
Ghofar said the supply disruption led to longer vehicle queues at\npetrol stations around Bali. On 14 October, queues in Denpasar stretched\nfor more than two kilometres, with waiting times of about four to six\nhours.<\/p>\n
The following day, queues in Tabanan and Gianyar exceeded three\nkilometres. During this period, demand for Pertalite in Denpasar and\nBadung also rose sharply, from about 700,000 litres to 1.3 million\nlitres per day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis surge in demand put further pressure on a distribution system\nalready facing supply constraints,\u201d Ghofar said.<\/p>\n
ORI also found gaps in fuel deliveries in the lead-up to the\nshortages. Sample data on daily deliveries to monitored petrol stations\nshowed that regular Pertalite supplies were interrupted on 9\u201310 October\n2026 and resumed only on a limited basis on 11\u201312 October.<\/p>\n
A review of distribution through Benoa Port also found a gap between\nthe arrivals of fuel-carrying vessels before the shortages occurred.<\/p>\n
Ghofar said the situation demonstrated how vulnerable the\ndistribution system was to delivery delays, particularly without\nadequate operational reserves.<\/p>\n
He said the disruption in Bali should prompt an important review of\nlogistics readiness and fuel-reserve management, especially in areas\nheavily dependent on supplies by sea.<\/p>\n
A delay involving a single vessel should not, he stressed, have\nwidespread effects on services to the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cFuel stock management, certainty around delivery schedules and\npreparedness for distribution disruptions need to be strengthened,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Another concern, Ghofar said, was the limited infrastructure for\ndistributing fuel by sea. The pier at Benoa Port is shared by different\nlogistics needs, including supplies for state electricity company PLN\nand aviation fuel for I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.<\/p>\n
Monitoring of fuel distribution to island areas such as Nusa Penida\nand Lembongan also indicated a need to strengthen records of delivery\nvolumes, so that distribution can be monitored more accurately and in an\nintegrated manner.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ombudsman-fuel-distribution-problems-vary-by-region-1792835553", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }