Bali Fuel Queues: Subsidized Pertalite Runs Out at Gas Stations
Long queues for fuel snaked through Pertamina-branded gas stations (SPBU) across Bali from Monday (10/12/2026). Subsidized Pertalite — RON 90 gasoline sold at a government-regulated price — was reported empty at several stations in Denpasar, Badung, and Tabanan as well as Klungkung, Gianyar, Buleleng, and Bangli, forcing motorists to queue for the more expensive Pertamax or drive around looking for stations that still had stock.
Local media reported vehicle queues stretching up to about a kilometer in some locations, with drivers waiting one to two hours to get fuel. A woman from Bongkasa village even fainted while queueing at an SPBU in Abiansemal, Badung, on Tuesday (10/13/2026) morning and was taken to the Abiansemal 1 community health center. Police officers were deployed to manage traffic at the queue hotspots.
Cause: Tanker Failed to Drop Anchor, Unloading Delayed 15 Hours
Simon Aloysius Mantiri, president director of PT Pertamina (Persero), Indonesia's state-owned energy company, explained that the queues were triggered by a technical problem on one of its fuel tankers. The vessel had difficulty lowering its anchor during cargo discharge, pushing a schedule planned for Monday (10/12/2026) at 6:30 a.m. WITA back to around 10 p.m. WITA — a delay of roughly 15 hours that disrupted the supply chain to Bali's gas stations.
Pertamina also noted a surge in consumption of subsidized Pertalite driven by the wide price gap with non-subsidized fuels, but stressed this did not justify the queues. After a coordination meeting with the Bali governor in Denpasar, Simon issued a public apology to Bali residents on behalf of the company.
Fuel Stocks Safe for Two Weeks, 92 Stations Open 24 Hours
Bali Governor Wayan Koster assured the public that Pertalite and Pertamax supplies are safe for two weeks ahead. He said a tanker that arrived on Tuesday (10/13/2026) carried 19.2 million liters of Pertalite — enough for six to seven days of public demand — plus 3 million liters of Pertamax for the next three days.
As an emergency response, 92 gas stations in Badung and Denpasar began operating 24 hours from Tuesday (10/13/2026), and Pertamina deployed 105 tanker trucks to speed up distribution from depots to stations. Pertamina Patra Niaga is also adding 26,200 kiloliters of fuel in stages from October 12–16 through the Sanggaran and Manggis fuel terminals. Plans to impose work-from-home and online schooling in Bali were cancelled.
Queues Spread to East Java: Malang, Jember, Bondowoso
The fuel queue phenomenon has also spread to East Java, particularly Malang, Jember, and Bondowoso. Citing the @infomalang Instagram account, long queues were still visible at many gas stations in Malang city as of Wednesday (10/14/2026), with shortages reportedly felt since early October 2026.
In Jember, Pertamina Patra Niaga said the queues stemmed from distribution pattern adjustments and tanker arrival schedules, worsened by traffic congestion on the Ketapang-Banyuwangi corridor that slowed trucks collecting fuel from the Banyuwangi depot. In Bondowoso, Pertalite consumption rose about 16–20 percent while deliveries from Surabaya frequently arrived late; Pertamina has prepared a 584-kiloliter supply rerouting for Bondowoso and Situbondo and tightened distribution monitoring through QR codes.
