Pertamina Adds 20 Million Litres of Pertalite to Ease Fuel Queues in Bali

DENPASAR, SUARA NEGERI — Pertamina Patra Niaga has increased Pertalite fuel supplies to Bali by 20 million litres as it seeks to restore fuel services and ease queues at several filling stations across the island.

Two fuel tankers arrived in Bali on Friday, October 16, carrying a combined 20 million litres of Pertalite, the state energy company's subsidised gasoline product.

The MT Pangkalan Brandan docked at the Integrated Terminal Manggis with 16 million litres, while the MT Asian Rigel arrived at the Fuel Terminal Sanggaran carrying 4 million litres.

Ahad Rahedi, area manager for communications, relations and corporate social responsibility at Pertamina Patra Niaga's Jatimbalinus regional unit, said the additional supplies were intended to meet public demand and make up for deliveries that had previously gone unmet when stocks ran out at some filling stations.

Bali's average daily Pertalite consumption stands at around 2.2 million litres. However, deliveries to filling stations averaged about 3 million litres per day from October 13 to 15, as the company sought to meet demand that had not been served earlier.

Pertamina aims to increase Pertalite stocks in Bali to 48 million litres by October 17, a level the company says would provide about two weeks of supply under normal safety-stock conditions.

The additional shipments are expected to help stabilise fuel distribution across the island. The pace of recovery will depend on the smooth distribution of fuel from storage terminals to filling stations and whether supplies can keep up with consumer demand.(Janne Sinten)