The Government's announced the convening of a joint industry-government group to oversee full re-instalment of jet fuel supplies into Auckland Airport.
This is the statment from Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins:
A joint industry-government group has been convened to oversee the full re-instalment of jet fuel supplies into Auckland airport, says Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins.
“The Group is coordinating the responses to the supply issues arising from the Marsden Point fuel pipeline outage.
“It includes representatives from ExxonMobil, Z Energy, BP, Air New Zealand, KiwiRail, Auckland Council, Auckland Airport, Auckland Transport, New Zealand Defence Force, Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, and the Ministry of Transport.
“The Group is working full time until issues are resolved, to streamline information flows and ensure logistics are effectively managed.
“It is part of the government’s wider response to support industry efforts to address the disruption,” Ms Collins says.
The government is moving on several fronts in transport to do everything possible to improve supply, including making it easier for carriers to get overweight permits so tankers can (safely) carry more fuel.
There is already an existing procedure for permitting overweight vehicles and New Zealand Transport Agency is working with industry to get the required permits. Twelve permits have been issued so far.
Importantly, certain checks are still required to ensure the routes cause minimal disruption to the roading network. This is being worked out as quickly as possible to get more fuel trucks moving.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is providing significant logistical support to assist in the movement of fuel and taking measures to supplement supply.
The government and industry have asked NZDF to deploy the HMNZS Endeavour to Marsden Point. The Endeavour will set sail for Marsden Point at 11am tomorrow.
NZDF is offering the fuel industry the use of trucks and drivers and is currently finalising logistics.
Immigration NZ is providing advice to clients whose NZ visa is at risk of expiring due to cancellations or postponements. Any people whose visas are due to expire will be given an electronic visa free of charge.
38 Comments
No it's a committee! Is there not an old one something like - a committee is a body that sets out to design a horse and ends up with a camel. Or in a similar vein President John Adams - one useless man is called a disgrace, two a law firm and three or more a congress.
If the government changes after Saturday, I will miss the material the National caucus provides our best cartoonists;
https://twitter.com/rodemmerson/status/910221014793019393
#Lovepolitics
The perception of incompetence counts a lot for our visitors.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/australian-travellers-hit-with-…
You are seriously deluded if you think this is just a media beat up and has no impact on how tourists perceive us whether they are planning come here or otherwise. This just adds a bit more to our reputational risk for over-promising and under-delivering (just like clean green...).
Your glib "undies" comment suggests your nose for sniffing BS needs a bit more practice.
No one gives a toss. Get some perspective Mac. NZ can't do an actual crisis. 41 cancelled flights... pfft. "This Bank Holiday saw massive disruption to British Airways customers as an IT outage grounded flights, leaving 75,000 flyers stranded.
The problem, put down to a "power surge" by BA chief executive Alex Cruz, is expected to cost the airline £100m in compensation costs."
and in 2008
"The debacle resulted in 500 cancelled flights and 23,000 misplaced bags. It cost British Airways an estimated £16 million."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/worst-meltdowns-time/
Z Energy warned Government in 2012 about high risk of jet fuel outage at Auckland Airport. The suggestion was a small levy on petrol over 5 yours would would mitigate the risk. Ignored by the Government.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/97034707/z-energy-warned-government-in…
Paula Bennett and Judith Collins have repeatedly said this is a privately-owned pipeline and essentially washed their hands of government responsibility. But now public bodies, including the Defence Force, have to step in to help. Will the pipeline owners be charged the full amount of public money spent propping up their business?
Insurers will be involved. Hence the insistence that a digger hit it.
From my experience,
If a digger hit it several years ago, the insurer can limit the payout as, although the corrosion is the result of an event, the failure itself was a result of "gradual damage".
alternatively corrosion may not be covered at all.
RNZ will be frantically trying to prove a digger hit it, and recently, to ensure they are covered.
Otherwise rather than just a Govt helping hand, we may see a complete bailout of what is clearly Vital infrastructure.
fix
fɪks
verb
1. To obfuscate, confound, and provide generally meaningless conclusions at significant cost to the taxpayer.
2. To delay, ignore, and fail to understand basic concepts.
3. To create a report that falls in a black hole never to be seen, read, or actioned.
I posted on this earlier:
The 2005 Oil Security report to the Govt was prominently about external supply risk and NZ was not compliant with recommended practice at that time. Namely having >90 days cover of net imports, this was remedied by the Clarke Govt over the next few years.
http://www.haletwomey.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Oil-security-Feb-...
A recent radio interview this week with Ian Twomey, co-author of both reports (2005 and 2011) is worth a listen:
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20170919-0908-petrol_pipeline_repor...
In summary;
In 2005 the concerns were acted on, but in 2011 they were disregarded; I see this as a failure of the current National govt in not providing any enforceable regulatory oversight in reducing supply risk..
Far too late and the same goes for getting a decent road transport supply. I heard that this morning they will have a streamlined road supply working tomorrow. This happened a week ago tomorrow, they should have been onto this within hours of it occurring and had road supply up and running the following day, at worst the day after that.
As for the government far too late. Like everything they do, dopey and far too slow. Think back to the Rena. They sat around talking about it, communicating and PR-ing it to death while the oil cooled and went solid during perfect sea conditions. When they did get off their proverbial back sides and into gear (must have been a good week) the oil had cooled and weather turned rough.
Too many over paid pen pushers and bean counters and not enough people with a expertise and gumption.
The coming "change" is advocating more tax, more regulation, more working groups.
And that means more government.
In France, where socialist ideas have held power quite often, public spending is now 56% of total GDP. So with NZ below 40% committees, working groups and bureaucracy are all growth opportunities.
I would suggest otherwise, in no particular order of immorality or greed:
Most power companies, Auckland airport (monopolistic parking), Wilsons parking (has to have a special place in hell), Sky, telecom companies (looking at you Vodafone), and the 4 ugly Aussie sisters (banks). They are all unequalled for gouging. Your local civil servants are not remotely in the same league.
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