Bunker fuel sales at UAE's Fujairah port in the first half of 2026 more than halved versus last year, after the US-Iran war hit supplies at the key Middle Eastern ship refuelling hub located near the Strait of Hormuz.
The sharp decline has further eroded Fujairah's lead among the world's top bunkering hubs. China's Zhoushan port now appears poised to steadily overtake it this year as the world's third-largest hub, with supply disruptions continuing to weigh.
Marine fuel sales, excluding lubricants, totalled about 1.63 million tonnes (10.4 million barrels) in the first half of 2026 at Fujairah, down 55 per cent from the first half of 2025, based on Fujairah Oil Industry Zone data published by SP Global.
Monthly volumes extended declines, hitting a fresh low in June at about 86,000 tonnes.
Low-sulphur marine fuel sales, including both residual fuels and gasoil fuels, made up 51 per cent of June volumes, while high-sulphur marine fuel sales comprised the other 49 per cent. Sales first crashed in March after the war broke out at the end of February, effectively shutting the waterway, and infrastructure was attacked, which hampered loading operations.
The Fujairah port typically imports fuel oil cargoes from other Middle Eastern exporters such as Iran, as well as from Russia.
Most supplies from Middle Eastern exporters usually exit via the strait. Fuel oil supplies from Russia have also declined month-on-month into 2026 so far, after Ukraine ramped up infrastructure attacks on Russian refineries.
The lower supplies tightened the Fujairah market. While replenishment emerged in early July after a short-lived US-Iran ceasefire, market sources said that supply streams remained uncertain again amid a return to hostilities.
Residual fuel oil inventories at Fujairah rebounded to above 7.3 million barrels (1.2 million tonnes) in the week to July 6, the highest since early March, Fujairah Oil Industry Zone data showed. However, stockpiles eased slightly again this week.
(Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)
