The Strait of Hormuz crisis is disrupting Iraqi ports: a 53% drop in ship fuel supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is disrupting Iraqi ports: a 53% drop in ship fuel supplies.
2026-05-09
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Ship refueling operations at Iraqi ports declined during April, as uncertainty continued regarding shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the effects of the war on regional shipping routes.
Vinayak Kharmali, head of operations at Sea Crown Marine Services, said that the volume of ship refueling in Iraq fell to about 7,000 metric tons during April, compared to 15,000 metric tons in March, which is about (53%), explaining that the decline was not due to weak demand, but rather a result of the difficulty of ship movement and voyage planning.
He added that shipping companies are still facing concerns regarding sailing routes after refueling, which has led to the suspension of many operations pending the return of stability to maritime traffic.
The average price of low-sulfur marine fuel also declined by 0.5% at the port of Basra during April to $999.28 per metric ton, a decrease of $42.03 compared to the previous month.
This comes at a time when demand for ship fuel in Middle Eastern ports, especially Fujairah and Dubai, is declining due to the slowdown in ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and the shift of some demand towards ports in Africa, India and Sri Lanka.
shafaq.com
