King Island fuel supply stable after Viva Energy Geelong

King Island’s fuel position remains stable despite the fire at Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery overnight.

TasPorts said on Tuesday, April 14, that there was no disruption to fuel supply on King Island, with regular shipping movements maintaining normal stock levels. The port operator said its on-island stores held several months of both unleaded and diesel fuel.

That advice has become especially relevant after a fire broke out just after 11pm on Wednesday, April 15, at Viva’s refinery in Geelong, one of only two operating refineries in Australia.

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the fire was likely to affect petrol production for some time, although diesel and jet fuel production were continuing at reduced levels as a precaution. ABC later reported the fire had been extinguished.

Viva Energy chief executive Scott Wyatt said it would take time to determine the full extent of the damage, but said the company would use imports to help cover any shortfall. He said Viva’s import program was already well supplied for the next couple of months.

The company is also operating under a new April 9 agreement with Export Finance Australia aimed at helping secure extra fuel cargoes for the Australian market during the Middle East crisis.

For King Island, the immediate message remains measured rather than alarming.

TasPorts interim chief executive Allan Gray said fuel was critical to the island and the organisation planned for continuity accordingly.

TasPorts said it had systems in place to support ongoing supply, was working closely with local retail partners and King Island Council, and maintained an incident management plan if conditions changed.

While the Geelong fire has added fresh pressure to an already tight national fuel environment, there is no verified indication at this stage of any immediate disruption to King Island stocks or deliveries.