Fiji has moved swiftly to protect its fuel supply chain during a period of global uncertainty, with the Government engaging directly with key international partners to ensure fuel shipments are not disrupted.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sakiasi Ditoka said Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka tasked him with travelling to Singapore — Fiji’s main fuel supply hub — to seek assurances from the Singaporean government.
“We went first to Singapore, and then later to Australia to see if they had some assistance in as far as fuel reserve planning and strategic fuel reserves could be discussed,” Mr Ditoka said.
He said meetings were held with Singapore’s transport and foreign affairs ministers, where Fiji raised concerns about previous fuel shipments being delayed.
“We had gone on the complaint that in some of our previous shipments when they were supposed to come to Fiji, they were pushed to the back of the queue.
“Those are some of the issues that we raised, and then we got the reassurance from Singapore that from then on, it would not happen again.”
He said Singapore assured Fiji there would be “no interruptions in the fuel supply chain”.
Mr Ditoka added that fuel prices remained beyond the control of individual governments.
“What they confirmed with us was that the price was beyond their control. It’s controlled by the world market, and that’s how you see all the prices escalating, and we were trying to manage it as well as much as possible.”
