Another week of vessel movements shows New Zealand's fuel distribution network quietly doing what it was designed to do. While several ports remain unusually quiet, fresh imports and regular coastal deliveries continue to keep product flowing nationwide.
Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week's Fuel Watch.
At first glance it looked like another fairly quiet week, but once you start following the ships, you can see there's been plenty happening behind the scenes.
The highlight for me was seeing Yuan Ju Wan arrive safely into Marsden Point from Kurnell, Australia.
Marsden Point had been sitting quietly since the last departure on 30 June, so it's always good to see another international tanker alongside. Every arrival like this tops up New Zealand's imported fuel stocks before they're redistributed around the country.
Grand Winner 3 has been keeping busy
One vessel that certainly hasn't been sitting still is Grand Winner 3.
Over the past few days she's worked her way from Tauranga to Napier and is now heading into Wellington.
That's exactly how our coastal fuel network is supposed to work. Fuel lands at the import terminals before being progressively distributed through the country's major ports.
It's easy to forget that fuel doesn't simply appear everywhere at once. Every coastal voyage is another link in that supply chain.
Wellington has seen plenty of activity
Wellington has probably been our busiest port this week.
STI San Telmo completed operations before sailing on to New Plymouth, where she discharged cargo before departing New Zealand for Yeosu in South Korea.
At the same time, Ardmore Encounter arrived from Tauranga, completed work in Wellington and then continued south towards Nelson.
Grand Winner 3 is also due into Wellington, although as of Tuesday morning she was still waiting outside the harbour.
The South Island keeps moving
Further south, Esteem Endeavor finally came alongside in Dunedin after spending a couple of days waiting offshore.
That sometimes worries people, but it's actually quite normal. Ships regularly wait for berth availability, tides or port scheduling before coming alongside.
The important thing is that fuel continues moving through the network.
A few ports remain very quiet
While some areas have been active, several ports continue to experience lengthy gaps between fuel movements.
New Plymouth has only just seen activity after a long quiet spell.
Nelson is still waiting for its next completed fuel delivery.
Christchurch and Timaru have also remained relatively quiet.
That doesn't automatically indicate a problem. Most fuel terminals hold substantial storage capacity, allowing deliveries to be scheduled according to demand rather than fixed timetables.
Even so, these are the ports I'll continue watching over the coming week.
My thoughts this week
Overall, I'd call this another steady week.
There's nothing in these movements that suggests any disruption to New Zealand's fuel supply.
The arrival of Yuan Ju Wan into Marsden Point is encouraging, coastal tankers continue doing their rounds, and the network appears to be operating much as we'd expect.
One thing I've learned from watching these ships is that not every quiet day tells a story—but over time the pattern certainly does.
As always, thanks for coming along for another week of Fuel Watch.
I'll keep watching the ships...
...so you don't have to.
Dave Trotter
Does This Affect New Zealand?
Since refining ceased at Marsden Point in 2022, New Zealand has relied almost entirely on imported refined fuel delivered by tanker before being distributed around the country by coastal shipping. Weekly vessel movements provide a valuable snapshot of how resilient that supply chain remains, helping readers understand not just where fuel is arriving, but how it is progressively delivered to communities across the country.
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Source: Fuel shipping observations compiled by Dave Trotter, Marsden Point News Radio.
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Dave Trotter is an independent Fuel Compilation Analyst and founder of Marsden Point News Radio. He tracks fuel tanker movements in and out of New Zealand using real-time shipping and port data following the Marsden Point Refinery closure. His work provides a factual, ground-level view of NZ’s fuel supply, focusing on imports, storage, and distribution across multiple ports. Dave publishes regular updates at www.davidtrotter.co.nz and via Telegram.