TotalEnergies Fiji curbs container sales as panic buying strains forecourts despite steady imports
Fiji’s largest fuel retailer says its stocks are sound but a rush on petrol and diesel is emptying some forecourts before normal daily consumption is reached. Bhavana Samel, Managing Director at TotalEnergies (Fiji) Ltd, said the company has recorded a doubling of demand over the past 10 days and moved to restrict sales into portable containers to address safety risks and what she described as artificial scarcity.
We have enough fuel supplies, it is the practice of fuel hoarding and panic buying by some people that is drying up some fuel pumps before the daily consumption amounts.
Samel said staff at multiple sites have observed customers arriving “with multiple jerry cans and drums,” refuelling the same vehicle more than once a day. At the company’s Laucala Beach service station, she said, tanks were refilled yesterday afternoon with normal volumes plus 25 percent, “but by this morning, the site was dry.” She added that forecourts are now prioritising vehicles at the pump and limiting jerry-can fills, with case-by-case exceptions for genuine need and essential services.
Calling the trend inequitable, Samel warned that large-volume purchases by those who can afford them can create “artificial scarcity where those who can afford take large amounts of fuel, and those who purchase fuel when they get paid may lose out.” She also underscored the fire risk from improper storage: “one person taking 600 litres of fuel is very concerning as it is a major safety hazard,” and “large amounts of fuel cannot be stored in enclosed places.”
Small-island energy math meets global volatility
While retail pumps in parts of Suva and Lautoka are cycling dry under the weight of panic buying, Fiji remains an import-dependent, price-taking market for refined fuels. The country’s regulated pump prices are reset monthly by the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC), which is mandated under the Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission Act to oversee price control and market conduct in key sectors, including fuel. Those prices are closely linked to the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) benchmark alongside freight and foreign-exchange movements, leaving local consumers exposed to swings in global refined-product markets.
FCCC’s recent updates and local coverage reiterate that MOPS movements remain the primary driver of Fiji pump prices. In practice, this means that even when domestic supply is stable, expectations of future price rises can trigger the kind of pre-emptive buying now seen on Fijian forecourts.
Singapore and South Korea are among Fiji’s principal supply origins for refined petroleum products, consistent with regional trade data that show Singapore as Fiji’s dominant source for imported petroleum oils and preparations. As a small-island economy with limited storage and no domestic refining, Fiji must balance tight inventory management against the risk of temporary dislocations when public sentiment shifts suddenly.
How TotalEnergies brings fuel to Fiji
TotalEnergies says it operates main terminals at Walu Bay and Rodwell Road in Suva and at Vuda Point in Lautoka, with coastal distribution to outer islands. Fiji Ports Corporation describes the Vuda Point petroleum terminal as an offshore mooring linked by pipelines to onshore tank farms, infrastructure that underpins routine tanker discharge and domestic distribution. These fixed assets effectively form part of Fiji’s critical energy infrastructure, and their continuous operation is central to keeping transport, emergency services and power generation supplied.
Samel said the company’s international suppliers have confirmed continuity under long-term contracts despite “the global fuel market” remaining volatile, noting that “for TotalEnergies, their supplies remain consistent.” She confirmed typical replenishment by two to three vessels per month from Singapore and Korea and outlined scheduled calls:
- One vessel already berthed at Vuda and proceeding to Suva (March 2026).
- Next vessel due March 22, 2026.
- Third vessel due in early April 2026.
- Fourth vessel slated for the third week of April 2026.
For policymakers and regulators, those schedules are a reminder that Fiji’s fuel security is managed on a rolling, vessel-by-vessel basis rather than through large strategic reserves. Short bursts of excess demand can therefore deplete forecourt tanks faster than planned, even when the national supply pipeline is functioning as intended.
Safety and the law on storing fuel at home or work
Fiji’s Petroleum Regulations set strict caps on how much petrol and fuel oil can be kept at unlicensed premises. Under Regulation 43, the limits include:
- In houses and buildings: up to 4 gallons of “dangerous petroleum” (petrol) and 4 gallons of “ordinary petroleum.”
- In garages or outhouses at least 10 feet from a protected work: up to 44 gallons of dangerous or ordinary petroleum; up to 46 gallons of fuel oil.
- In the open air at least 25 feet from a protected work: fuel oil up to 5,000 gallons in drums or barrels.
- On farms or estates over 10 acres: up to 250 gallons of dangerous or ordinary petroleum, with distance requirements.
These thresholds are designed to manage fire and explosion risks in residential, commercial and agricultural settings, and they also give enforcement agencies a benchmark for intervening when hoarding tips into unlawful storage.
Samel said “the government can look into this,” adding that “the filling of jerry cans and drums should be stopped” except for essential purposes. Her comments align with warnings from safety agencies globally: during past fuel runs, authorities have cautioned that storing petrol in unsuitable or excessive quantities-especially indoors-creates severe fire hazards and can quickly overwhelm local emergency response capacity.
Panic buying can drain pumps anywhere
What Fiji is seeing is a familiar dynamic: sudden, fear-driven demand can overwhelm even healthy supply chains. In 2021, the United Kingdom experienced nationwide queues and forecourt closures despite adequate national stocks, after panic buying compounded a temporary shortage of specialist tanker drivers; industry groups reported that large shares of stations ran dry, prompting emergency measures and public appeals for restraint. In the United States that same year, a pipeline outage triggered runs on fuel and safety warnings against unsafe storage, illustrating how infrastructure shocks and social media rumours can interact to magnify local shortages.
For governments, these episodes have underlined the importance of clear, early communication from energy regulators and ministers when supply is stable but consumer behaviour is not. They also show how quickly a retail issue at the pump can escalate into a broader political problem when queues, price anxiety and safety incidents converge.
Conservation asks and operating adjustments
To ease pressure while resupply continues, Samel urged the public to curb discretionary driving and adopt “fuel saving measures like carpooling, work from home wherever possible and no fuel hoarding.” She said TotalEnergies has “already stopped” multiple-container fills across its network for safety reasons and to protect everyday access, and that the company will assess exceptions for essential services on a genuine-need basis.
As of March 17, 2026, TotalEnergies (Fiji) reports steady marine resupply, active retail operations with limits on container filling, and forecourts prioritising vehicles while demand remains elevated. The episode now places a parallel responsibility on public authorities to reinforce existing storage laws, communicate clearly on supply conditions and, if necessary, adjust regulatory settings so that corporate measures at the forecourt are matched by coherent national policy on fuel security and public safety.
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