Fuel crisis latest – pipe repair progress as government loosens rules for fuel trucks

Updated 2.30pm:

As the Auckland fuel crisis continues, Refinery NZ says it is on track to deliver jet fuel into Wiri anytime between midday Sunday and next Tuesday (September 26). The Marsden Point company says it will still take another 30 hours once it arrives at Wiri to get to the airport.

“In parallel, we have also made good progress on a jet truck-loading option at the refinery. We have fabricated a solution that we believe is workable, subject to product quality and safety reviews today from the relevant stakeholders,” the company says.

In a statement Refinery NZ adds it is seeing good repair progress despite difficult weather.

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Judith Collins says the New Zealand Defence Force is providing “significant logistical support” to assist in the movement of fuel and taking measures to supplement supply. 

Ms Collins says other measures to help include lifting weight restrictions on fuel tankers. The government is also working towards allowing fuel trucks to use bus and transit lanes and allowing drivers longer hours on the road.

Updated 1pm:

Government department workers have been told to avoid non-essential travel as the Auckland fuel crisis continues.

Ministry of Business chief executive Carolyn Tremain has today confirmed a directive has been issued saying public servants should not fly.

In a statement she says, "As part of the government response to the fuel pipeline disruption, public servants are being asked to defer non-essential air travel in and out of Auckland.

"With the pressure on aviation fuel supplies, it is prudent the public sector does what it can to help the airlines and the fuel suppliers meet the challenges of the situation," she says.

Earlier:

Airways says new measures mean it can conserve fuel to save nine return flights from Auckland to Wellington for as long as the fuel crisis continues but it is already running as efficiently as it can in response to the aviation fuel crisis.

The Crown entity says staff came in over the weekend to brainstorm a response to the fuel shortage caused by a ruptured pipeline between Marsden Point and a fuel company-owned Wiri storage facility.

Airways acting system operations general manager Tim Boyle says air traffic control has limited all airborne holding, so there are more planes waiting on the tarmac than in the sky. He says passengers may notice they are held on the ground for longer than usual as a result.

“The next stop would be just to cancel some flights. We are running the airborne network as efficiently as we can but there may be some more tweaks, and we have staff to see if we can make some small gains – but in terms of big bang for buck we can only improve slightly now.

“We could keep doing [these measures] long term but it means the holding system is not efficient, and it would mean the airlines wouldn’t have as much flexibility in their schedules. So it’s not recommended to keep going but we can sustain it as long as the fuel crisis exists.”

Meanwhile, at 10.30am today, 13 of 70 Z Energy petrol stations in the Auckland region are out of 95 Premium. This is almost 19% of its total Auckland network.

Infrastructure NZ chief executive Stephen Selwood says there has been a lack of industry leadership on this issue, and the government should not be blamed. Opposition parties were quick yesterday to suggest the government did not provide security for supply.

However, Mr Selwood says it’s not fair for anyone to point the finger. "It’s a New Zealand Inc failure and the industry has to take a fair share of the responsibility. The airlines should be putting pressure on their suppliers.”

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