Malaysia Denies Supplying Diesel to Australia, Says Shipment Owned by International Firms

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian government has clarified that the 200 million litres of diesel currently en route to Australia did not originate from the country’s own fuel reserves.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stressed that the fuel shipment belongs to an international company and was merely stored in Malaysia before being exported. The clarification comes amid public concern following remarks by Anthony Albanese regarding additional fuel supplies heading to Australia.

According to the PMO, Malaysia serves as a regional storage and logistics hub for global energy companies. The diesel in question had been sourced from other countries and stored locally before being transported onward under a commercial agreement.

“This is not Malaysian diesel. It belongs to an international company that purchased fuel from other countries and stored it in Malaysia,” the statement said.

The shipment is part of a business deal between Viva Energy and BP Australia. Officials explained that the reference to “from Malaysia” simply reflects the location where the fuel was loaded onto the vessel, not its origin.

The PMO further emphasized that the diesel was not extracted from Malaysian soil and reassured the public that national fuel reserves remain intact. It reiterated that neither the government nor PETRONAS is selling off the country’s energy supplies.

Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil also confirmed that the fuel shipment belongs to BP, which operates storage facilities in Malaysian waters.

Earlier, Chris Bowen stated that the additional diesel supplies  including shipments from South Korea, Brunei, and Malaysia  are expected to arrive in Australia between late May and early June.

Malaysian authorities have maintained that the situation is purely a commercial transaction involving international energy companies, and does not impact the country’s domestic fuel resources.