Tonga Fuel Additional Details
Fuel Supply and Storage
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Current discharge and terminal facilities
PE SWP and Total have their main terminals on adjacent facilities just to the east of Nuku’alofa
(Touliki area) close to the Queen Salote Wharf. The wharf, terminal facilities and surrounding area are
shown in the aerial photo below.
Current tanker discharge facility
Currently tankers discharge just outside the reef directly offshore from the terminals. The LCT’s are
about 80m long and 2000 - 3000 gross registered tonnes (GRT). They use a mooring system known
as Mediterranean mooring where the ship anchors a suitable distance off the reef and then swings its
stern towards the shore. A number of mooring lines are taken from the stern of the vessel and
secured to dolphins on the edge of the reef. A flexible hose is taken from the side of the ship and
taken over the water and connected to the permanent manifold which is by one of the dolphins. The
permanent line is underwater (concrete encased) for about half the distance to shore with the
remaining line on the top of the breakwater next to the Tonga Defence Service Touliki Base.
The wharf line is owned by PE, but used to supply product to both the PE and Total terminals.
The wharf line is in poor condition. To reduce the risk of further leakage, the current flow rate has
been reduced from 600 m3/hr to 200 m3/hr. Companies advised that they will be replacing a large
portion of the corroded sections of the wharf line in the near future.
Current terminal facilities
Total’s terminal is closer to the shore with three product tanks. Total doesn’t bring in kerosene so the
two smaller tanks are used for petrol with the larger tank (at about 1.3 million litres this is the largest
tank in either facility) used for diesel. There is also a tank wagon filling gantry and drum filling
facilities.
Tanks are all fixed roof tanks located on earth mound foundations within a compound with earth
mound bund walls. There is one spare earth mound foundation.
Pacific Energy tanks:
The PE terminal consists of tankage, tankwagon filling gantry and drum filling facilities. Storage is
provided by six vertical tanks (tabled below) and two horizontal tanks.
The vertical tanks all have earth mound foundations within a grass floor compound with earth bund
walls. A single bay gantry is provided with three top filling hoses, and a firewater ring main is
provided. Fixed foam/water monitors are located around the ring main. A concrete firewater tank
supplies firewater to both the PE and Total terminals.
Fuel Marketing and Local Distribution
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Total and Pacific Energy are the only two oil companies, they supply the whole country of Tonga.
They have their own offshore berthing.
Total and Pacific Energy have terminal facilities 0.5 n.m. east of Queen Salote Wharf. Currently,
tankers discharge just outside the reef directly offshore from the terminals using a Mediterranean
mooring system, with vessels stern towards shore and aft mooring lines secured to dolphins at the
edge of the reef. Accommodate local coastal tankers, typically LOA 80m., max draft 5.0m., 3.000gt.
Cargo transfer is by flexible hose between a permanent manifold by one of the dolphins and vessels
manifold. Handles products at a rate of 200 cu.m. / hr. The port handles approx. 40-50 million liters of
petroleum products per year.
Pacific Energy and Total have their main terminals on adjacent facilities just to the east of Nuku’alofa
(Touliki area) close to the Queen Salote Wharf. The wharf, terminal facilities and surrounding area are
shown in the aerial photo below.
Fuel Supply
There are two major companies marketing in Tonga, Pacific Energy SWP Limited (PE SWP) and
Total. Since early 2009 a local Tongan company (Vatu) has been supplying the Ha’apai group of
islands using their own LCT.
Fuel Demand
Does local supply (domestic refinery production and imports combined) meet the needs of the
country, especially for aviation and ground fuels? Yes
The total Tongan market is 45-50 million litres per annum. The volume has varied over the past few
years with no consistent trend, although volumes are down a little in the past couple of years (from
2007) which is likely to be related to the higher prices.
The approximate split of product demand between the various island groups (based on delivery
location rather than demand) is as follows:
Delivery Point
Approximate volume (mln litres)
Proportion
Tongatapu
42.5
87%
Vava’u
4.5
9%
Ha’apai[1]
1.0
2%
Eua
0.9
2%
The largest single consumer of petroleum fuel is Tonga Power which uses diesel for electricity
generation. As a result diesel is the most significant product supplied to the market. Jet fuel/kerosene
is only supplied to Tongatapu. The typical splits between grades are as follows (total Tongan
demand):
Product
Approximate volume (mln litres)
Proportion
Petrol
13.1
27%
Jet/Kerosene
5.3/0.2
11%
Diesel (non –power)
16.1
33%
Diesel (power)
14.2
29%
Total
48.9
[1] Estimated – volume supplied through Nuku’alofa in the past