What you need to know
Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage.
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
- Firefighters have responded to a “significant” fire at Viva Energy Group’s Geelong oil refinery, which broke out about 11pm on Wednesday. It is one of two refineries remaining in Australia and supplies more than 50 per cent of Victoria’s and 10 per cent of Australia’s fuel.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said while reports of a two-week extension of the ceasefire were “not true at this moment”, the door was left open while US-Iran talks continue.
- Pakistani officials have arrived in Iran’s capital “as part of the ongoing mediation efforts”, Pakistan’s military said in a statement, accompanied by images of Field Marshal Asim Munir being embraced by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
- The US Central Command said no vessels have made it past US naval forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, and nine vessels have complied with directions to turn around.
- Iranian military commander Ali Abdollahi has warned that Iran would completely block exports and imports across the Persian Gulf region, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea if the US does not lift its blockade, Iranian state media reported.
- An extra $53 billion will be injected into Australia’s defence budget over the next 10 years.
Motorists fearing further hardship following refinery fire
In the shadow of the refinery, motorists are contemplating yet more hardship after two months of sacrifices.
Two service stations sit just a few hundred metres from Viva’s plant, one of them with the cheapest fuel in Geelong, according to local carpenter Alan Spierings.
“I can’t really think about it,” he said, when asked about what impacts higher fuel prices could have on his life. “I might have to buy a horse and cart!”
“I stopped drinking in the last few weeks, you’ve got to sacrifice a few things in life.”
Trump conferred with adviser on ‘Jesus’ meme: report
Trump discussed a now-deleted post on Truth Social depicting him as Jesus with Bill Pulte, a controversial member of Trump’s administration, Axios has reported.
Two advisers who spoke to the president about the image said Trump and Pulte spent time together in South Florida on the weekend, and at some point, Pulte brought the image to Trump’s attention.
The advisers told Axios it was not clear whether Pulte displayed the meme on his phone or sent it directly to Trump.
Pulte is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Chalmers signs on to joint economic war response at IMF meeting
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has signed up to a commitment with 10 other nations to deal with the economic fallout from the war in the Middle East in a “coordinated and responsible” manner.
In Washington for the International Monetary Fund’s annual meetings, Chalmers and fellow finance ministers from Britain, Japan, New Zealand and the Netherlands made a joint statement that also commits them to avoiding “protectionist actions” involving fossil fuels.
The IMF this week warned the war could drive the global economy into a recession that would also be accompanied by soaring inflation.
The ministers’ statement warns that even with the end of the war, the impact on growth, inflation and financial markets will continue.
Viva Energy enters trading halt
Viva Energy has announced it has entered a trading halt on the Australian sharemarket after the fire at its refinery in Geelong.
The company announced the move before trading on the ASX started this morning, saying it would remain in halt pending an announcement regarding the impact of the fire.
Viva shares have jumped more than 20 per cent over the past month, boosted by rising oil prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East.
‘The whole backyard was lit up red’
It’s been a sleepless, anxious night for many residents near the Viva plant, with some waking up to their houses rattling and an ominous red glow.
In Corio, directly opposite the refinery, parents were refreshing their phones for any updates on the incident as they dropped their children off at an early learning centre.
Melanie, who lives a few streets away from the childcare, said her mother who lives nearby also heard the sirens of fire trucks rushing to the scene.
“My mum rang me at quarter past 11 and asked me to step outside and look at what was happening,” she said.
Refinery fire confirms importance of self-sufficiency: Plibersek
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says the refinery fire in Geelong reaffirms the government’s view about the importance of Australia being self-sufficient when it comes to onshore fuel supplies.
“It’s reconfirmed our view about self-sufficiency for Australia. I mean, six refineries closed under the Coalition government. We’ve, of course, made it a priority to keep the two remaining refineries open,” she told Sky News.
The Viva facility in Geelong is one of just two oil refineries in Australia.
She added that it was “terrible timing” for the fire, as the ongoing war between the US and Iran continues to put pressure on the Australian economy and fuel supply.
Steam rises at the scene in Geelong
It’s difficult to tell how big the fire at the plant currently is, with steam rising from several chimney stacks visible from the main entrance.
Earlier today, a grayish purple hue encircled the plant like a halo, but that has also dissipated as the morning sun rises.
Two service stations are directly opposite the road into Viva, but the pumps are quiet at this stage.
A fire truck and a police car are blocking the road that leads to the plant.
At a nearby intersection, truck drivers are stealing glances at the scene.
Israeli cabinet discusses Lebanon ceasefire: official
Israel’s security cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said.
Earlier this week, Trump said the war with Iran could end soon, telling the world to watch out for an “amazing two days”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was under heavy pressure from Washington to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, another senior Israeli official said.
While the security cabinet was meeting, however, Netanyahu released a video statement in which he said the Israeli military continued to strike at Hezbollah and was about to “overcome” the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil.
Geelong refinery curbs output to ‘minimum rates’ following major fire
The Geelong oil refinery has temporarily cut its output of petrol, diesel and jet fuel down to “minimum rates” following major fire damage to critical infrastructure, adding pressure to Australian fuel stocks that are already in short supply due to the war in the Middle East.
Personnel from supplier Viva Energy, which owns the sprawling refinery on the shores of Corio Bay, have not yet been able to access the site to conduct a full damage assessment. However, internal reports confirm two of the plant’s primary petrol-production units have been impacted.
While other parts of the refinery are still producing petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, overall production volumes will be compromised, industry sources said this morning.
The 120,000-barrels-a-day refinery has been running at maximum capacity since the start of the Iran war on February 28, but is now at “minimum rates”.
“Right now, the whole focus is on getting the site safe and restoring full control so we can access and determine how we go from here in terms of how we can operate the site and production volumes,” one source said.
“Clearly, we have lost a couple of units. There will be some impact. But we are still running and we can still make what we can.”
The refinery’s management is confident it will have “options to restore production” volumes once the extent of the losses are known. The refinery has strong flows of fuel imports arriving well into May and strong flows of crude oil deliveries heading into June.
Fire authorities say cause of blaze remains unclear
Fire authorities have provided an update on the ongoing blaze at the Viva fuel refinery in Geelong.
Fire Rescue Victoria Assistant Chief Fire Officer Mick McGuinness said it was still unclear what caused the fire.
“We just have not been able to conduct any investigations at this stage … The workers indicated that a leak was detected, then very quickly that increased in size, and an explosion occurred, and a rapid fire occurred,” he said.
He said authorities expect the fire to burn for at least another four to five hours.
“This is quite a dangerous fire. We’re dealing with highly flammable materials.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
