Feature Feature Oil-Spill

Walu Bay fuel leak under control, entry points now open

Walu Bay fuel leak under control, entry points now open
PetroOceania CEO James Marryatt

PetroOceania contractor has patched the leaking fuel tank to minimize leakage, and the situation is currently under control.


The National Fire Authority says monitoring and containment actions are ongoing.


The leak was discovered early this morning, which prompted road closures and a swift response from police and NFA to prevent fuel from entering nearby waterways.


Speaking to fijivillage News, PetroOceania CEO James Marryatt, says public and environmental safety remains the company’s top priority.


In coordination with authorities, Marryatt says the company isolated the premises and implemented measures to minimise the leak while engineers worked to patch the affected tank.


When asked about the age of the tanks, Marryatt declined to provide specifics.


What happened to the tank Jan 05 


Meanwhile, NFA says fighfighters from the Suva Fire Station responded to the incident just after 8am.


NFA says by 8.30am, the fuel height in the leaking terminal was recorded at 8 metres, with an estimated volume of 1.16 million litres.


They said that by 11.40am, the level had reduced to 7.5 metres,  with a volume of approximately 980,000 litre, confirming a measurable loss of fuel.


Contractors patched the affected area to prevent further leakage, and the situation remained under control while monitoring and mitigation measures continued.


NFA's Acting CEO Joel Israel confirmed that more than half the contents of the leaking tank had been transferred to another empty terminal.


Israel says the repair operation was expected to take three to four hours.


Authorities have urged the public to remain patient as emergency operations continue.


When fijivllage News team visited the site this afternoon, the leak had been patched, signalling that the situation was stabilising and the risk to the environment was being minimised.


Meanwhile, the entry points to Walu Bay is now open.


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