Bali Governor Says Tourism Remains Safe Despite Fuel Queues from Delayed Tanker

Bali Governor Wayan Koster told reporters in Jimbaran, Badung Regency, on October 16 that while queues have formed at some public gas stations (SPBU), the island's tourism sector remains safe "for now."

According to Koster, the disruption stems from a delay in a tanker ship carrying 18 million liters of fuel. The vessel was scheduled to dock at 6:30 a.m. local time on October 11 but did not arrive until around 10 p.m. that day, throwing off the scheduled delivery of fuel to depots.

"When delivery is delayed by one day, the next day has to handle double the volume," Koster said. However, recovery cannot happen all at once due to the limited number of fuel tanker trucks and workers, so distribution to gas stations is being carried out in stages.

The governor stressed that Bali's overall fuel quota has not been cut and, according to regional government calculations, is sufficient to meet demand. Still, he acknowledged that queues have not fully returned to normal. Koster urged residents whose vehicles still have enough fuel to avoid rushing to gas stations, saying this would help reduce queues and ensure supply reaches those who genuinely need it.