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(https://gcaptain.com/join-the-club/?mt_source=HambugerNavigation) Sign Up (https://gcaptain.com/?memberful_endpoint=auth) Sign In   Don’t Miss Your Daily Briefing for the Maritime Industry Join the leading maritime news network — trusted by our 106,720 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)        (https://www.facebook.com/gCaptain-27223368885/) (facebook)  (https://www.instagram.com/gcaptain) (instagram)  (https://twitter.com/gCaptain) (twitter)      (Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz)  Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, May 22, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS  Ship Fuel Market Fragments as Middle East Conflict Hits Trade (https://gcaptain.com/author/bloomberg/) Bloomberg Total Views: 100   October 15, 2026   (Bloomberg) — Shipowners are facing an increasingly fragmented fuel market as disruptions triggered by the Middle East (https://gcaptain.com/tag/iran-conflict/) conflict raise concerns about the availability and quality of supply. Ships can’t always refuel at familiar ports if they’re forced on longer journeys around Africa and diverted to the Atlantic Basin to avoid escalating hostilities near the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. That’s turned other locations into so-called bunkering hubs and driven up fuel prices. “No one can treat bunkering as a routine, last-minute decision anymore,” said Frederik Guttormsen, Asia Pacific president at Stolt-Nielsen Ltd., an operator of 167 tankers that transport chemicals worldwide. “We’re securing fuel earlier and tracking availability and lead times at key ports because the risk is now as much about prompt supply as about price.” Middle East oil flows are coming under renewed strain from recent attacks in the region, including on vessels transiting Hormuz. The disruptions are pushing oil and bunker prices higher, Guttormsen said. He made the comments on the sidelines of a shipping conference in Singapore known as Sibcon. Singapore, the world’s biggest ship-refueling hub, continues to see growth, while vessels are tending to avoid Fujairah on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, south of Hormuz. Other locations seeing higher bunkering demand since the US-Iran war include Port Louis in Mauritius, South Africa, West Africa, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, according to participants at Sibcon.  Bunkering at less familiar ports may expose shipowners to smaller or less reputable sellers, as well as wider price disparities between locations. Differences can reflect factors including fuel sourcing, access to on-spec feedstock and the availability of support services needed to ensure quality and compliance. “In this market, procurement needs to be much more structured,” said Kenneth Dam, executive director and global head of bunkering at TFG Marine, a major trader and supplier of ship fuels. Vessels are also refueling more frequently and taking smaller volumes at each stop to avoid locking in too much fuel at a particular price and port, he said. Disruptions are also becoming more frequent, leading to vessel diversions that are shifting fuel demand to other locations, said Peter Grünwaldt, head of bunkering at tanker owner Hafnia Ltd. and co-chief executive officer of bunker trader Seascale Energy. “We’re making sure we have fuel available at these ports,” he said. © 2026 Bloomberg L.P.  Tags: (https://gcaptain.com/tag/iran-conflict/) Iran conflict  (https://gcaptain.com/tag/red-sea/) red sea  (https://gcaptain.com/tag/strait-of-hormuz/) strait of hormuz   (logo)  Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update — trusted by our 106,720 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)        (https://gcaptain.com/uk-tightens-russian-oil-sanctions-as-u-s-weighs-relief/)  Prev (https://gcaptain.com)  Back to Main (https://gcaptain.com/oil-shipping-costs-spike-lifting-prices-from-pump-to-grocery/) Next      (gCaptain-logo)   Stay Informed. Stay Connected.  Get The Daily Insights That Power Maritime Professionals Worldwide Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox — trusted by our 106,720 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)     Have a news tip? (https://gcaptain.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#483c21383b082f2b29383c292126662b2725) Let us know.    (gc logo) Stay Ahead with Our Weekly ‘Dispatch’ Email Dive into a sea of curated content with our weekly ‘Dispatch’ email. Your personal maritime briefing awaits!  (https://gcaptain.com/join-the-club/?mt_source=ArticleSidebar) Sign Up (https://gcaptain.com/?memberful_endpoint=auth) Sign In       Related Articles   (https://gcaptain.com/by-the-numbers-u-s-claims-control-of-hormuz-as-ship-attacks-hit-new-high/) (ontainer ship listing heavily in the water with thick black smoke pouring from its superstructure as a tugboat operates alongside.)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/by-the-numbers-u-s-claims-control-of-hormuz-as-ship-attacks-hit-new-high/) U.S. Claims Control of Hormuz as Ship Attacks Hit New High  U.S. Central Command says the United States and its regional partners control the Strait of Hormuz, citing more than 40 commercial ships moving through the waterway in the past 24... 7 hours ago Total Views: 690      (https://gcaptain.com/oil-shipping-costs-spike-lifting-prices-from-pump-to-grocery/) (FILE PHOTO: Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/shipping/) Shipping  (https://gcaptain.com/oil-shipping-costs-spike-lifting-prices-from-pump-to-grocery/) Oil Shipping Costs Spike, Lifting Prices from Pump to Grocery  When the oil supertanker Esteem Explorer sails from the United States to Japan in late November, loaded with about 2 million barrels of crude, the journey will cost $81 million. The same journey would have cost $9.1 million last year, on average. 8 hours ago Total Views: 286      (https://gcaptain.com/u-s-forces-destroy-iranian-linked-dhow-accused-of-targeting-navy-ships/) (Dhow engulfed in flames in the Gulf of Oman, sending a massive plume of thick black smoke into the sky following a U.S. military strike on October 6, 2026.)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/maritime-defense-news/) Defense  (https://gcaptain.com/u-s-forces-destroy-iranian-linked-dhow-accused-of-targeting-navy-ships/) U.S. Forces Destroy Iranian-Linked Dhow Accused of Targeting Navy Ships  U.S. forces destroyed an Iranian-affiliated dhow in the Gulf of Oman on October 6 after determining that the vessel was conducting surveillance and helping target American warships, U.S. Central Command... 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