Diesel fuel crisis hits Central Java, Jakarta

Diesel fuel crisis hits Central Java, Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): A shortage in supplies of diesel fuel is being
experienced again in parts of Java but state oil company
Pertamina insisted on Saturday that the supply was sufficient for
the next three weeks.

Pertamina suspects that the problem lies in the transportation
system which is controlled by the private sector.

This time the hardest hit by the shortage is Central Java. In
Jakarta, an undersupply of diesel fuel has been reported in West
and East Jakarta.

Dozens of gasoline stations in Banyumas and Pemalang regencies
put up the sign Solar habis (Diesel out) at their entrances.
Station owners said their supply had been slashed by half.

Bus and truck drivers reported that they had to travel great
distances to get the fuel. Roadside fuel sellers were also at a
loss as to why the commodity had disappeared.

Santoso, a gasoline station manager in Purbalingga said that
before the latest shortage, he would receive 32,000 liters of
diesel fuel a day. "Today, we get only half of that. The supply
comes at 12 p.m. and the next supply comes at about the same time
the following day."

Santosa has experienced this shortage in supply since the
beginning of the month and he was told that Pertamina had cut the
supply.

Hiswana Migas, Pertamina's partner which distributes the fuel
to agents, confirmed the reduction in supply from Pertamina.

"The policy is needed, otherwise most of the fuel would be
bought by the industrial sector," said Anas Pribadi, deputy
chairman of Hiswana Migas of Banyumas.

The government has set the diesel fuel price at Rp 1,190 per
liter for industrial purposes and Rp 900 for private use. The
industrial price is half the international price and is subject
to regular review.

The local Pertamina spokesman based in Cilacap Husni Banser
told The Jakarta Post that Pertamina maintained its diesel fuel
production at 1.8 million barrels this month.

"There is no cut in production," he said.

The limitation in supply has also badly affected gasoline
stations along the busy north coast highways, the backbone of
transportation routes in Java. Long queues of trucks and cars at
gasoline stations have become a common sight.

In Jakarta, the shortage of diesel fuel has been reported over
the past two days. "The supply comes once every two days," said a
gasoline pump attendant on Jl. Panjang, West Jakarta.

The crisis has, as of Saturday, not caused serious traffic
jams due to the long queues of vehicles in gasoline stations in
Jakarta.

Tuti Anggraeni, manager of Pertamina's home supply and
marketing, said in Jakarta there was no problem with supply as
far as Pertamina was concerned.

Pertamina spokesman Adiatma Sardjito had a different version.
He said the existing supply was enough for the next 23 days. Fuel
in Greater Jakarta is supplied from Balongan refinery plant in
Indramayu, West Java, from Lampung and from abroad.

"The reason (for the scarcity in Jakarta) could be either in
the transportation system, which is controlled by the private
sector, or due to factories buying their fuel at gasoline
stations (which is prohibited)," he said. (45/iwa/pan)