Mobil Oil steps up effort to keep country supplied with fuel during shortage

By GLORIA BAUAI
MOBIL Oil New Guinea, an affiliate of American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, is currently working to import all the fuel types needed in Papua New Guinea.
Mobil has been supplying fuel (petrol and diesel) and lubricants to PNG for over a century, and wants to help out at a time when the country is experiencing a fuel shortage following decisions by Puma Energy, the exclusive supplier of aviation fuel, to reduce or stop operations temporarily.
In a brief statement to The National, Mobil said it was business as usual for its customers.
“And we are doing our best to assist other customers unable to access fuel from Puma,” a company spokesperson said. Mobil confirmed additional supplies of imported fuel was en route to PNG.
It clarified that it was not rationing fuel but its distributor could from time to time limit purchases to manage inventory between scheduled fuel deliveries.
Mobil said for fuel supply into other centers, the volume and type of fuels carried would vary from vessel to vessel. “Our 102-plus year commitment to PNG remains firm,” it said.
Mobil last year enhanced its operations in PNG by including a third loading arm at its Port Moresby terminal.
It plans to introduce cutting-edge bottom loading facility at its Lae terminal to optimise fuel distribution.
ExxonMobil PNG Limited is a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, the world’s leading petroleum and petrochemical company. ExxonMobil has had a presence in Papua New Guinea since the 1920s, and in addition to construction of the PNG LNG Project, the company has interests in fuels marketing and oil production.