CANBERRA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Australia's diesel stocks have risen to the equivalent of 34 days of consumption amid continued uncertainty and disruptions in international fuel supply chains, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday.
The level was three days higher than a week earlier, while stocks of aviation fuel stood at 29 days, up one day, Bowen told a press conference.
He said 43 ships carrying fuel were currently on their way to Australia, while 3.1 billion liters of fuel had been secured for delivery over the next four weeks, 100 million liters more than in the previous week's update.
Bowen said Australia's fuel supply remained "solid and secure" despite continued uncertainty in global supply chains, including disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.
The government was working with domestic refineries to maintain production and with trading partners in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere to secure supplies, he said.
Bowen said he had seen the reports that four oil tankers had caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Australia highlights continued uncertainty in the region and difficulties in moving fuel through the strategic waterway. ■
