Disrupted fuel deliveries led to long queues outside petrol stations in Bali this week. Locals and tourists alike had to wait for hours to get petrol, with many taking to social media to air their grievances. By Thursday, the situation had escalated to protests breaking out outside the governor’s office on the Indonesian resort island.
If you’re in Bali or if you’re traveling to Bali, you should know what is happening right now. Laode Sulaeman, director-general of oil and gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, explained that a fuel tanker delay was responsible for the disruption. Long lines stretched more than a kilometre (0.6 miles) at several gas stations in the provincial capital of Denpasar on Thursday, according to an AFP reporter, and around 500 people rallied outside the governor’s office.
It was a nightmare,” Jain said. Lines have been forming outside Bali’s gas stations since Sunday, according to an AP report. Indonesian officials said that the shortages were caused by domestic distribution problems, rather than a lack of fuel supplies or disruptions in global energy markets. “This is purely a distribution issue,” Sulaeman said. “A fuel tanker was delayed, but it has now arrived and 24-hour deliveries have been underway since yesterday.”
“Today I’m traveling back to India from Bali and I almost missed my flight.
The shortage was exacerbated by high demand for Pertalite, a government-subsidised petrol that is significantly cheaper than non-subsidised fuel. Panic-buying by motorists concerned about potential shortages put further pressure on supplies at some petrol stations.
