Prime Minister Confirms New Fuel Shipments and Promises Long-Term Fix
Nukuʻalofa | Saturday, 15 November 2025 — 4:30 pm
The Prime Minister has confirmed that Tonga’s fuel supply is expected to return to normal within days, following weeks of disruption that have left motorists queuing for hours and businesses struggling to stay afloat.
In a response to Tonga Independent News, the Prime Minister said the Government has been providing regular updates through the Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC) and is working closely with both Pacific Energy and Total Energy to stabilise supply.
“The vessel carrying diesel will arrive in Tonga tomorrow, Sunday, and begin offloading and distribution on Monday morning to all stations. That will be adequate to restore normal supply,” the Prime Minister said.
He confirmed that a Matson vessel carrying petrol will arrive on Wednesday, ensuring that the local stock — which is expected to last until Tuesday — will be replenished in time to avoid further shortages.
“Both companies supply their stations in rural and urban areas closer to the public. We are closely liaising with both suppliers on restoring normal supply,” he said.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the ongoing problem stems from limited local storage capacity, noting that two of Total Energy’s depots are currently undergoing maintenance and have been relying on public enterprise storage facilities. The issue was compounded by a breakdown of one of the regular fuel vessels, disrupting the usual shipping schedule to Tonga.
“Given this situation, the Government has also reached out to other suppliers and made arrangements with Matson to bring diesel from Auckland, arriving on Wednesday,” the Prime Minister said.
He added that Cabinet on Friday, 14 November, approved a new contract process to be discussed with both Pacific Energy and Total Energy. The goal is to secure formal supply agreements and guarantee the sustainability of Tonga’s fuel reserves — something that has not existed under the current arrangements.
“Having adequate storage capacity for fuel is the first priority that the new Government should attend to, to avoid future shortages,” the Prime Minister said.
The update comes as the Government continues efforts to coordinate tanker arrivals from Fiji, New Zealand and Australia while urging the public to use fuel only for essential travel until full supply is restored.
