Jakarta. Shell Indonesia has denied reports that it laid off employees due to fuel shortages at its gas stations.

“Shell Indonesia clarifies that the information being circulated is not true,” the company said in a statement on Sunday, as quoted by state news agency Antara.

The company also pointed out three Instagram accounts, infotangerang.id,  lawakscience, and awreceh.id that had shared misleading content. According to Shell, the video that went viral actually showed a routine briefing at one of its stations, which coincided with a farewell for a staff member being reassigned to another location.

“We urge the public to be more discerning in receiving and sharing information,” Shell Indonesia said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Shell Indonesia President Director & Managing Director of Mobility , Ingrid Siburian, acknowledged that the company has adjusted its operations due to fuel supply challenges. Measures included changes in operating hours, fewer working days, and temporarily placing some staff on leave.

While some gasoline products such as Shell Super, Shell V-Power, and Shell V-Power Nitro+ have been temporarily unavailable, Shell stations continue to serve customers with available products, including Shell V-Power Diesel, Shell Recharge, Shell Select, lubricants, and workshop services.

Shell announced in May the sale of its entire fuel retail network in Indonesia to a joint venture between Citadel Pacific Limited and Indonesia’s Sefas Group, covering all its approximately 200 gas stations, including 160 company-owned sites.

Citadel Pacific holds Shell branding rights in several Asia-Pacific territories such as Guam, Saipan, Macao, Palau, and Hong Kong, while Sefas Group is currently Shell’s largest lubricant distributor in Indonesia.

The company stressed that the change in ownership will not affect Shell’s lubricants business in Indonesia, which includes a 300-million-liter-per-year lubricant blending plant and a new 2,000-ton-per-year grease production facility currently under construction in Marunda, North Jakarta. Shell also operates a fuel terminal in Gresik, West Java.

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