Long lines stretch from petrol stations on tourist hub Bali as fuel shortages bite (SONNY TUMBELAKA)
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Moldovan tourist Raisa Neagu spent hours on Wednesday waiting to fuel up her scooter, one of many people snared in a petrol shortage on resort island Bali that Indonesian authorities blamed on supply disruptions.
Officials urged people to stay calm, noting there was enough fuel to go around on the island that relies on shipped-in gasoline and diesel supplies -- but lines still snaked up to a kilometre (0.6 miles) in places, witnesses said.
"We were stuck with no petrol. So we couldn't move. We had to cancel all our plans," 43-year-old tourist Neagu told AFP.
"I had big plans for my vacation. I wanted to be in the north of Bali and now I don't know really what to do," she added.
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster ordered government employees to work from home for three days starting Thursday, while schools and universities switch to online learning over the same period, according to a statement.
Wayan said the measures were meant to help make fuel distribution easier.
Petrol stations in some areas will open 24 hours, while deliveries from depots will be carried out around the clock to speed up distribution, he said.
The supply disruption was due to delays in distribution after a tanker had trouble discharging its cargo, Simon Aloysius Mantiri, president director of state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina, said Tuesday along with an apology.
The tanker carrying more than 22 million litres of fuel had arrived in Bali Tuesday, with the supplies expected to be able to meet demand on the resort island for up to the next seven days, Wayan said Tuesday.
"People don't need to worry because the fuel is available," he added, noting more fuel shipments are expected to arrive within this week.
Ni Wayan Susiani, 22, said she had to wait around five hours before she managed to buy fuel for her motorbike, adding that the situation had left her "annoyed".
"My hope is that this is the last day like this. Hopefully it can return to normal in the days to come," the hotel worker told AFP.
