Businesses need to start treating fuel shortages as a major operational risk rather than just a cost issue, as disruptions can quickly affect transport, staffing, supply chains and daily operations.
Speaking during the Fiji's Fuel Crisis: Price, People and Preparedness Discussion, ViPACT Consulting Founder and Managing Director Vasiti Soko says many businesses focus on fuel as a cost issue but fail to prepare for the wider disruptions it can create.
Soko says a fuel crisis can quickly become an operational challenge, affecting everything from transport and logistics to staffing, power generation and customer service.
She says businesses need to ask themselves whether they could continue operating if transport costs doubled, fuel supplies were disrupted for several days, staff struggled to afford commuting costs, or generators became their primary source of power.
She says while businesses often prepare for natural disasters such as cyclones, many continuity plans do not adequately address prolonged fuel disruptions, which can last for months rather than days.
Insert: Soko on Fuel 12th June 26
Soko highlighted several common weaknesses in business continuity plans, including assumptions that fuel will always be available, a lack of backup transport arrangements, insufficient planning for generator fuel needs, limited support for staff facing higher commuting costs and a failure to assess the resilience of key suppliers.
She is encouraging businesses to identify their fuel dependencies, establish alternative transport and supply options, calculate generator fuel requirements and engage with staff and suppliers on contingency measures before a crisis occurs.
Soko says resilience is built through preparation and planning, not during a crisis, and is urging organisations to review their business continuity plans and address fuel-related vulnerabilities now.
