First day with no fuel cancellations at Auckland Airport

Energy and resources minister Judith Collins said today was the first day with no fuel-related flight cancellations at Auckland Airport, although there have been minor disruptions. Photo / File

Petrol is expected to flow through the Marsden Point pipeline again this Friday.

But energy and resources minister Judith Collins expects it will take some time for fuel stocks to be replenished in Auckland, and that the increased amount of trucking of fuel around the city is expected to continue for at least a week.

"This is a significant milestone on the path back to normal supply," Collins said today.

The pipeline burst earlier this month after a digger driver damaged the line while excavating for swamp kauri, causing major disruptions to Auckland Airport and to some service stations in the city.

Collins said that today was the first day that there were no fuel-related flight cancellations at Auckland Airport, although there have been minor disruptions.

"We have seen some really innovative thinking come out of the response," she said.

"Over the past 13 days workarounds, such as enabling transfer of jet fuel by truck from Marsden Refinery to Auckland, plane-to-plane-refuelling at Auckland Airport, and converting chemical tanks at Wynyard to receive and store jet fuel have occurred."

The Government continues to be closely involved in monitoring the situation and remained on stand-by to scale up assistance if required, Collins said.

An investigation into the leak uncovered that the initial damage to the pipeline occurred months ago, before it burst on September 14.

As a result, 23 flights were cancelled in 24 hours following the rupture, disrupting thousands of travellers.

In response, the defence force sent the navy's oil tanker, HMNZN Endeavour, to Port Marsden to fill up with 4.8 million litres of diesel to deliver throughout New Zealand, twelve army drivers were also deployed to drive civilian tankers taking jet fuel to Auckland, Palmerston North and Napier.