Jakarta in short supply of leaded fuel

Jakarta in short supply of leaded fuel

JAKARTA (JP): A number of gas stations in the capital continue
to face a significant shortage of leaded fuel due to a dearth of
supplies from state-owned oil company Pertamina.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Saturday,
managers and employees at several stations said Pertamina could
only supply between one-third and half of their orders.

The limited stock of leaded fuel, or premium, has forced many
motorists to spend extra money to purchase unleaded fuel, or
premix, which costs Rp 1,500 per liter compared to the Rp 1,000
per liter for premium.

"We used to have two or three trucks delivering premium every
day here .... But it's already been five days that we have
received only one truck a day," said Marjono, a manager at a gas
station on Jl. Pakubuwono in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Pertamina's oil distribution center in Plumpang, North
Jakarta, supplies fuel to all of the gas stations in Greater
Jakarta. The fuel is delivered in trucks operated by private
firms.

Ade, a manager at a gas station on Jl. Raya Kebayoran Lama,
South Jakarta, agreed with Maryono that fuel deliveries had been
irregular over the past few days. "We usually receive leaded gas
between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., but since five days ago the trucks
have arrived at the station outside these regular times.
Sometimes they arrive here after midnight."

The stock of leaded gas at the station had run out on
Thursday, Ade said. "Many customers left us and went to other gas
stations."

A gas station on Jl. Pejompongan Raya in Central Jakarta had
no premium on Saturday. The staff placed two garbage cans and an
iron bar in front of the leaded gas pumps to inform customers
there was no premium available.

Sudjono, a manager at the station, said the fuel truck did not
come to the station in the morning. "The truck used to arrive
here at 9 a.m, but as of now (10:30 a.m.) it hasn't showed up."

A motorist, Syahrul, who works at printing company PT Kreasi
Prima, said he had no option but purchase premix for his Daihatsu
Zebra van. "I'm almost out of gas, so I don't have any choice
but purchase unleaded fuel even though it's more expensive."

Contacted by the Post on Saturday, Pertamina's head of fuel
supplies for West Java and Jakarta, Tuty Anggrahini, urged
Jakartans not to worry or panic about the lack of leaded fuel,
because the capital was Pertamina's top priority for fuel
distribution.

Tuty said extra fuel imports from Singapore had just arrived
in Jakarta and that more were on their way. However, she did not
say how much fuel Pertamina had purchased from Singapore.

She estimated the Balongan refinery in West Java, which has
halted operation for repairs, would resume its normal production
and begin supplying fuel by Wednesday.

Jakarta and West Java get most of their fuel from the Balongan
refinery.

Tuty said motorists in Jakarta had been rushing to fuel
stations since Friday following media reports of fuel shortages.

The demand for fuel in Greater Jakarta, she said, had soared
to 9,000 kiloliters per day from 7,200 kiloliters a day.

"So please don't write about a fuel shortage or else people
will continue to rush to the stations," she said.

Pertamina earlier said some of the fuel earmarked for East
Java and Bali had been diverted to Jakarta and West Java.

Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently
said 200,000 barrels of additional fuel from Malaysia and 300,000
barrels from China had arrived in the country. A second shipment
of 400,000 barrels from Malaysia would soon follow, he added.

According to Bambang, the increase in the nation's fuel buffer
stock was aimed at meeting rising national fuel consumption.
(asa/bkm)