Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Fuel shortages in several parts of Indonesia have\nonce again attracted public attention after long queues formed at petrol\nstations, particularly in Bali. People have had to wait for hours to\nobtain fuel, raising concerns about its availability for everyday\nneeds.<\/p>\n
The situation in Bali drew attention after videos of queues and\npublic complaints at petrol stations circulated widely on social media.\nAs well as disrupting residents\u2019 activities, the situation prompted\nreports that some individuals were selling fuel at prices far above\nnormal to foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Why can fuel become scarce in some areas when the government says\nnational supplies remain secure?<\/p>\n
1. Disruption to fuel distribution<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the main causes of local fuel shortages is disruption to\ndistribution: fuel may be available but unable to reach petrol stations\non schedule.<\/p>\n The Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and\nMineral Resources, Laode Sulaeman, said on 14 October 2026 that long\nqueues in Bali had resulted from delays to fuel-carrying ships. This had\nheld up deliveries to a number of petrol stations.<\/p>\n Laode said national fuel stocks at the time were sufficient for\naround 18 to 20 days. The disruption in Bali was therefore more closely\nlinked to distribution than to a depletion of national supplies.<\/p>\n This shows that fuel being available at a depot or storage terminal\ndoes not necessarily mean it can be obtained immediately by the public.\nIt still has to be transported, unloaded, stored and delivered to petrol\nstations.<\/p>\n If any stage of that process is delayed, supplies at a particular\npetrol station may run low or out, even when larger-scale reserves\nremain available.<\/p>\n 2. Bad weather and technical problems with ships<\/strong><\/p>\n Fuel deliveries to island areas such as Bali depend heavily on\nmaritime transport running smoothly. Bad weather and technical problems\nwith vessels can therefore affect delivery schedules.<\/p>\n Pertamina said the disruption to supplies in Bali in October 2026 was\nalso caused by a technical problem with the anchor of a fuel-carrying\nship. The issue delayed the vessel\u2019s planned docking and unloading from\n6.30am Central Indonesia Time on Monday (12 October) until around\n10pm.<\/p>\n High waves and unfavourable sea conditions can also slow ships as\nthey dock and unload fuel.<\/p>\n Even a delay of a few hours can affect availability at petrol\nstations when public demand continues every day. The impact may be\ngreater if subsequent deliveries are also disrupted.<\/p>\n Transport difficulties are not confined to sea routes. In some areas\nthat rely on river transport, for example, falling water levels can\nforce deliveries to be rerouted by lorry, which has a more limited\ncarrying capacity.<\/p>\n 3. Rising consumption, particularly of subsidised\nfuel<\/strong><\/p>\n Another factor is strong public demand for fuel, especially\nsubsidised products such as Pertalite.<\/p>\n Pertamina Patra Niaga recorded average Pertalite consumption in Bali\nof around 2,200 kilolitres a day. This figure reflects the island\u2019s\nsubstantial fuel needs, as economic activity there depends heavily on\ntransport, including in the tourism sector.<\/p>\n Pertamina president director Simon Aloysius Mantiri has also\nacknowledged that increased use of subsidised fuel is one factor\naffecting availability at petrol stations.<\/p>\n The price difference between subsidised and non-subsidised fuel can\nencourage people to choose the more affordable product. When demand\nrises at the same time, particular petrol stations may run out more\nquickly, especially if deliveries are delayed.<\/p>\n However, high consumption does not mean the public is the only party\nto blame. Supply and distribution planning must also take daily\nrequirements and possible surges in demand into account.<\/p>\n Fuel shortages can worsen when people fear that it will remain\ndifficult to obtain for a long time.<\/p>\n After hearing that some petrol stations have run out, motorists may\nchoose to fill their tanks early or look for fuel at several locations.\nThis can increase demand all at once and make queues longer.<\/p>\n This is known as panic buying. When supply is already disrupted, a\nsudden surge in demand can rapidly exhaust the remaining stocks.<\/p>\n Queues had been seen at a number of petrol stations in Bali since\nSunday (11 October). The situation was then widely discussed on social\nmedia, including in videos of residents complaining about long waits for\nfuel.<\/p>\n People should therefore distinguish official information about fuel\navailability from unverified reports. Buying only what is needed and\navoiding stockpiling can help reduce pressure on supplies at petrol\nstations.<\/p>\n Why can shortages occur in one area even when national stocks\nare secure?<\/strong><\/p>\n This is due to the difference between fuel reserves across the\ncountry and availability at a specific location.<\/p>\n National stocks represent fuel held across the wider storage and\ndistribution system. Availability at a petrol station, meanwhile,\ndepends on the volume delivered, storage capacity, delivery speed and\nthe level of local consumption.<\/p>\n For example, a fuel terminal may have sufficient supplies. But if a\ntanker is delayed in docking or road tankers cannot deliver the fuel,\nsome petrol stations may still temporarily run out.<\/p>\n Similar issues have also drawn attention elsewhere. On 14 October\n2026, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said distribution\nproblems had previously occurred in Makassar, South Sulawesi. In areas\nreliant on waterways, weather conditions and limited transport options\ncan pose particular challenges.<\/p>\n Secure national stocks therefore do not guarantee that every petrol\nstation in every region will have the same level of supply at the same\ntime.<\/p>\n To speed up the restoration of supplies, Pertamina Patra Niaga\nbrought additional fuel to Bali in stages from 14 to 17 October 2026,\ntotalling around 57.9 million litres.<\/p>\n Pertamina had earlier reported the arrival of a ship carrying 18,000\nkilolitres of Pertalite and 2,500 kilolitres of Pertamax. The additional\ndeliveries were made through the Sanggaran Fuel Terminal in Denpasar and\nthe Manggis Fuel Terminal in Karangasem Regency.<\/p>\n In addition to increasing supplies, Pertamina identified 52 petrol\nstations to operate around the clock to meet public needs and ease\nqueues. More staff were also deployed to keep operations running while\ntaking account of conditions for frontline workers.<\/p>\n The government has also urged the public not to panic, saying\nnational fuel stocks remain secure. However, recovery at each petrol\nstation still depends on the smooth delivery and distribution of\nfuel.<\/p>\n The public also needs clear information about which petrol stations\nstill have fuel, their operating hours and the progress of deliveries.\nSuch information can help motorists avoid travelling from one location\nto another in search of fuel.<\/p>\n The events in Bali show that fuel shortages can result from several\nfactors combined, including technical transport problems, bad weather,\nhigh consumption and increased demand caused by public panic.<\/p>\n Addressing shortages therefore requires more than simply adding\nsupplies. Smooth distribution from terminals to petrol stations,\naccurate demand planning and transparent communication are also\nessential to prevent similar problems from recurring.<\/p>\n The public can help by buying fuel according to need, following\ninformation from official sources and avoiding stockpiling. The\ngovernment and Pertamina, meanwhile, need to ensure supplies reach the\nareas that need them on time, so that people\u2019s daily activities are not\ncontinually disrupted.<\/p>",
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