Kiribati is highly dependant on fuel for electricity generation. (20,000L/day) 

All fuel is imported, supplied by coastal tanker (with turnaround of 28 days) directly from Singapore.there is potential for fuel shortages as a result of bad weather which may delay discharging.

 

Suppliers

 

Kiribati Oil Company Ltd. (KOIL) is fully government owned and the major supplier. Located on Betio, South Tarawa. 

KOIL started as an energy agent and fuel regulator for MOBIL’s fuel facility in South Tarawa. After a series of agreements with MOBIL, KOIL has fully owned the facility since 2007. 

KOIL maintains aviation fuel depots at both Bonriki and Cassidy International Airports and depots for ferries refuelling on the islands of TabNorth, Arorae and Fanning.

 

KOIL Storage (Betio Fuel Farm)

 

Stocks are closely monitored if shortages are imminent 26,000L ISO tank containers will be ordered ex NZ with 1 week delivery time.

KOIL distributes fule to the outer islands from Tarawa in 200L. drums on a 1 – 2 monthly basis.

Clipper Oil is a private company with  storage bases at the ports of Tarawa and Christmas Island supplying marine fuels. They stock oil products from industry mainstays such as Shell and ExxonMobil and distribute related products from independent manufacturers

 

NOTE:

The only link between Betio and South Tarawa is the Nippon Causeway, which may be forced to close at times due to damage as a result of high seas.

The port of Betio is the country's main port, with much of the cargo and fuel supplies transported from Betio, via this causeway.

 

For more information on government and fuel provider contact details, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.7 Fuel Providers Contact List here.

Information may also be found at: http://www.mytravelcost.com/petrol-prices/ which is updated monthly. 

Fuel Pricing 

Fuel is imported directly from Singapore by the government agency Kiribati Oil (KOIL) and they are the sole distributor. Government sets the fuel price.

 

 

Seasonal Variations 

Fuel Transportation

 

On South Tarawa, delivery to the 6 outlets by KOIL owned tanker trucks

3 Tanker Trucks/17000Litres – Ground Products 

2 Tanker Trucks/17000 Litres – Dedicated to Jet Fuel

 

For Christmas, Fanning and Washington Islands (Line Islands)

Government owned KOIL is the sole supplier of fuel to these islands. Deliveries are direct from Singapore to Christmas Island 3 – 4 monthly. Delays can result in shortages of unleaded petrol (approx. once a year) in which case rationing occurs.

3 months from full, remaining stocks are generally down to approx.. 20% for petrol, 50% for diesel and Jet A1

Fuel is discharged via floating hose direct to KOIL’s fuel farm. All quality testing is done by NZ laboratory.

 

 

 

Standards, Quality and Testing

There are no seasonal variations to fuel availability.

Fuel Transportation – Line and Phoenix Islands

 On Christmas Island Fuel is delivered to the 4 outlets on the island using 17,000L tanker (2)

and Jet A-1 to the airfield by 17,000 tanker.

Fuel is shipped to Fanning and Washington Islands from KOIL’s Christmas Island depot every 2 months in 200 L. drums Prices are the same as Christmas Island except for Jet A1, which must be shipped direct from NZ in 200L. tanks and retails for $US 2.38/L.

Weather conditions affecting the ability to unload vessels causes delays and short term shortages of fuel in the outer islands periodically.

 

Standards, Quality and Testing

Fuel quality standards are to international specifications and a recognised NZ laboratory carries out all testing.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

 

 

 

The transport market is largely populated by small, localised owner operators on a casual as-required basis. There are no unions but due to the remote island nature of the country there is no option for foreign operators to enter the market.

On Tarawa there are numerous 3–5 tonne trucks owned by independent operators that are available for hire. These are currently able to adequately service the domestic demand and would be available for utilisation if there were a surge in demand. There are 3–4 larger operators who dominate the market that have side lifter trucks and various pieces of heavy equipment available.

Christmas Island has up to 30 x 3 mt trucks and 20 X 5 mt trucks. Individuals own these. They are adequate for the current domestic requirements and would be available for hire in case of a necessary humanitarian action.

On the smaller outer islands each island Council has a 5 mt truck; larger islands with populations in excess of 1,000 people will generally have several 5–8 mt flat deck tucks owned by individuals. Other transport is generally limited to motorbikes with few cars.

For more information on transport company contact details, please see the following link: 4.8 Transporter Contact List here

 

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

 

 

 

Casual and full time manual labour is in plentiful supply. There are no issues with casual rates and groups can often be employed through community leaders. A lot of work is completed by manual labour rather than machinery, particularly on the outer islands where heavy machinery is scarce or non-existent in most cases. 

 

 

There are only private companies involved in the market. No restrictions to registering SIMS or mobile numbers. Data plans readily available. 3G/4G services are available.

There is limited competition. ATH is main provider with 1 further provider attempting to enter the market but as yet still going through necessary Government registration procedures (no connectivity between the 2 networks).

For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List

 

 

Telecommunication Regulation 

No restrictions in place to bringing telecommunications equipment into the country.

 

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems

 The UN organisations have a basic communications centre based at their South Tarawa offices. Sharing this system may be possible but in practicality is a small and not very comprehensive system.  

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Christmas Island 

From Fiji Vodaphone and SPEEDCAST (Aust) Satellite available over all of Christmas Island through ATH. (satellite) Sole provider. The system appears very reliable. Businesses will connect through ATH provided systems and equipment to Satellite Internet.   

  

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) 

Coverage and reliability of the dominant provider ATH is good and improvement and expansion of coverage is on going.

For information on MNOs please visit the GSM Association website. 

 

 

Aside from fish and a very small amount of vegetables and chicken all food and other supplies are imported from Australia, New Zealand or Fiji. There is no manufacturing or production capacity locally. Local markets cannot supply local demand so certainly would not be able to scale up. Outer islands receive supplies by coastal shipping from Tarawa, or in the case of the Phoenix and Line Islands, from Christmas Island. Disruption or delays to shipping can result in shortages of staples such as rice and grains. 

Imported goods are generally of a basic nature as the local economy cannot support luxury goods or expensive electronic or IT goods. 

Pharmaceuticals and medical supplies are very limited in Kiribati, hence travellers are advised to bring with them sufficient supply of medication that they may require during their visit.  

The only significant export from the country is copra. The Government has leased the majority of fishing rights to foreign interests.

 

Generic country information can be located from sources that are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For a general overview of country data related to the service and supply sectors, please consult the following sources:

 

The Observatory of Economic Complexity – MIT (OEC): (http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/)  

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.  

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

 

 

 

 

 

Overview

Whilst there is adequate availability of basic services likely to be required by an aid agency, this is limited to Tarawa and, to a lesser extent, Christmas Island. All the outer islands are supplied from these two areas by regular coastal shipping services (often only every one to two months). In the case of a large humanitarian response involving multiple agencies, agencies should be prepared to bring all their immediate requirements with them (particularly in the case of any specialist electronic equipment and the service requirements thereof). The vast majority of goods used in Kiribati are delivered as sea cargo and delays in shipping inevitably result in shortages.   

For more information on company contact details, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List

Accommodation 

Tarawa, Fanning and Christmas Islands have adequate accommodation to cope with current demand. This ranges from lodges and bungalow style accommodation to hotel/motels. They generally provide dining service. The outer islands have minimal private guesthouse accommodation. Accommodation currently caters to visiting business people and tourists. In case of a large influx due to a humanitarian action, the country could probably accommodate humanitarian staff given these other two categories of visitors would most likely not be present. Most accommodation meets minimum-security criteria for agencies.

Electricity and Power 

240 volt power is produced at two locations in South Tarawa, Betio and Bikenibeu. Generation is owned and managed by the Government Public Utilities Board (PUB). Power generated is not adequate for the local requirements, and currently supplies around 75% of households in South Tarawa, and the Southern 25% of North Tarawa Island. There is no supply to outer islands from the central grid. All generators are constantly operating at their maximum capacity and as the machinery is over 50 years old, this results in frequent breakdowns. Outages occur for a few hours every month or two. 

Diesel usage is 20,000 litres per day. Storage capacity on site is 390,000 litres.  

 

 

Financial Services 

The only bank present in Kiribati is the ANZ. It has branches on South Tarawa and Christmas Islands. Branches provide all banking services. The parent bank provides mortgages, bank accounts, credit facilities and foreign exchange. 

 

ANZ Bank 

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) is a large international banking and financial services organisation with more than 95 billion dollars in assets, over 23,000 staff and an extensive network, which are based in their home markets of Australia and New Zealand. ANZ also stretches to Asia, the Pacific and the major financial centres of the world.

 

 

 *Basic details for the main office should be shown here, additional contact details for local/regional offices and full contact details for the main office to be included in 4.11 Additional Services Contact List.

 

 

Clearing and Forwarding Agents

Tarawa and Christmas Islands have shipping agencies that perform clearing and forwarding duties for overseas freight to and from Kiribati and to the outer islands.

Handling Equipment

There is limited handling equipment available for use generally. There are some smaller forklifts (1-2 mt) owned by wholesale food distributors, and the main ports of Betio and Navy Harbour (Tarawa & Christmas Island) have larger forklifts (up to 30 mt) that are used in their operations. Handling in the islands is generally done by manual labour. There are very few pallets available. They are generally back loaded on cargo ships to be reused.

Postal and Courier Services

International courier company DHL is represented in Tarawa and can be used for international deliveries. UPS based in Fiji services Kiribati.

There is a government-run postal service that provides domestic and international postal services – receipt, transport and delivery of mail, specialised mailing services, operation of postal facilities and sale of postal products, philatelic and mailing supplies. It also facilitates domestic money transfers to and from outer island locations. It maintains four main post offices at Bikenibeu, Bairiki, Betio, Kiritimati Island and 23 outer island postal agencies across the Republic of Kiribati. It also offers EMS,  an international postal Express Mail Service for documents and merchandise, offered by postal operators of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Printing and Publishing

The Government Printing is a division of MICTTD established to offer and deliver printing services to Government ministries, divisions and to the general public. It provides on-demand and fast printing on small quantity of booklets, mass production, and reproduction of book products and publications. It is located in Bairiki behind the Broadcasting & Publication Authority (BPA) and opposite the Ministry of Taxation and Finance. 

Taxi Companies

There are taxis in South Tarawa, however the more common form of public transport is by vans that run regular routes during daylight hours. These are cheap and well used however often overloaded.   Outer islands do not have taxi or van transport.

Vehicle Rental

There are rental vehicle outlets on the main islands (Tarawa, Christmas) that provide good late model cars for rental. Outer islands lack both cars and roads in many cases so motorbikes are the norm but are generally privately owned and not for hire.

Waste Management and Disposal Services

Waste is collected in Tarawa by the government service and taken to landfill. In the outer islands it is the responsibility of individuals. There are few attempts made at recycling. Aluminium cans are collected in some areas.

WASTE DISPOSAL - NON-HAZARDOUS

Waste goes to landfill on the islands with varying amounts of administrative direction between locations. Litter and waste is present in quantity around all urban areas.  

WASTE DISPOSAL - HAZARDOUS

No provision is made for hazardous waste disposal. It is generally sent to landfill with other waste. Waste oil is mixed with diesel and burnt as fuel in the electricity generators. 

Grey and black water goes either to sea via outfall or to ground via soak pit and basic septic tanks. It has caused some degradation to groundwater and the lagoon waters in heavily populated Tarawa. An Asian Bank-funded project is underway to extend and modify outfall and septic tank facilities to all households in South Tarawa. Expected completion is late 2019. On Christmas Island they are moving residential development off-area of subterranean fresh water to avoid contamination. Groundwater where present, is generally only 3–5 metres below surface ground level.

 

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.