Asia's looming fuel oil supply crunch
Higher demand and declining imports will tighten supplies
Warmer weather across the region which will have boosted demand from the power sector, and lower imports, will tighten supply between now and the beginning of next year. It means Asia is heading towards a fuel oil supply crunch. Over the first half of 2016 fuel oil supply to Asia-Pacific was more than 1m barrels a day less than the 2.6m-2.7m b/d the region consumed, according to Energy Aspects, a consultancy. The shortfall is likely to last until the first quarter of 2017. South Korea will be particularly badly affected as the country's fuel oil supply deficit averages 120,000 b/d in Q4 and Q1 2017, according to Energy Aspects. That's up from a supply shortfall of just 90,000 b/d in Q2 this
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation
