Fuel queues at Bengkulu's BBM stations begin to rise

Queues of vehicles at several SPBU (Stasiun Pengisian Bahan Bakar Umum) to refill BBM began rising on Friday morning (6 March). Both cars and motorcycles queued in Kota Bengkulu, causing congestion, with queues observed at SPBU in Kelurahan Panorama, Singaran Pati District. Wahyu, 35, a resident of Panorama, said the BBM queues had increased since Thursday (5 March). ‘The queues at the SPBU are causing traffic jams as vehicles—cars and motorcycles—queue to fill BBM,’ he said. He added that the queues were driven by panic among residents after the government stated that supplies would be sufficient for 21 days. At another SPBU, KM 6.5 in Kelurahan Jalan Gedang, Kecamatan Gading Cempaka, queues also formed, leading to congestion. Ucok, 28, a SPBU attendant in Bengkulu, said the BBM supply to SPBU remained normal and there were no distribution problems. ‘The BBM queues began today, or Friday (6 March), leading to density in the SPBU area,’ he added. The queues were dominated by diesel-powered vehicles, including both private cars and freight transport. Reports of long queues at SPBU in Kota Batam had emerged earlier in the week, as Pertamax shortages forced residents to switch to Pertalite. National BBM stock, currently around 20–21 days, is considered sufficient to meet energy needs under normal conditions, so the public is advised not to panic. Mohammad Faisal, Executive Director of CoRE, urged people not to engage in panic buying amid rising geopolitical tensions. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has said national BBM stocks remain safe and subsidised prices stable despite the Middle East conflict. Officials also urged residents to avoid panic buying. Long queues for BBM refuelling at SPBU in Kabupaten Aceh Tengah and Kabupaten Bener Meriah have lasted for three days. The ‘panic buying’ phenomenon has also been reported in Bangka, Bangka Belitung.