Road fuels
Overview
Fuels for road transportation continue to drive the refining industry. But gasoline and diesel use is coming under increasing pressure from the introduction of low-carbon targets around the world.
Global oversupply, new regulatory measures and rapidly increasing competition for export markets are affecting refining margins. The need for accurate insight and data is more critical than ever.
Argus road fuels coverage includes price assessments and key insights into conventional fuels — gasoline, middle distillates and blending components — as well as biofuels, in each key region. Our trusted prices are delivered alongside the latest market-moving news, in-depth analysis, supply and demand dynamics, price forecasts and forward curves data.
Latest road fuels news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global road fuels industry.
Nigeria a net gasoline exporter for first time in March
Nigeria a net gasoline exporter for first time in March
London, 10 April (Argus) — Nigeria was a net exporter of gasoline for the first time in March, capping a transformation in the country's position from a heavy net importer of the product to a global supplier. West Africa's largest economy received 41,000 b/d of gasoline in the month, the lowest on Kpler records. Dangote crude receipts in the month were the second highest since the 650,000 b/d refinery started operations at the end of 2023, at 565,000 b/d, suggesting healthy run rates and gasoline output, cutting reliance on foreign supply. Dangote booked just 10pc of the gasoline imported to Nigeria last month. Independent marketing firms took up recently issued import permits, allowing Dangote to funnel more of its production to export markets. Lower domestic demand may have left a greater amount of gasoline available for export in March. Local sources cited a 40pc increase in retail prices because of the US-Israel war against Iran and the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, which probably weighed on consumer demand. Nigeria also appeared to be sitting on comfortable gasoline stocks going into March , market participants said. Dangote gasoline exports were 44,000 b/d in March, up from none in January-February. As the sole gasoline producer in Nigeria, Dangote loadings helped tip the balance, making the country a net gasoline exporter of 3,000 b/d in March. Dangote made forays into the east African market in March for the first time, loading a 317,000 bl gasoline cargo signalling for Mozambique. East African gasoline import demand from Dangote rose as the region scrambles for alternative supply in the absence of Mideast Gulf product. Dangote's sole gasoline export to date in April is also destined for Beira, Mozambique. Nigeria's status as a net-gasoline exporter compounds Europe's gasoline oversupply conundrum, as the west African country is on the way to becoming a competitor rather than an customer. Nigeria is probably better positioned to place gasoline into west or east Africa to cover war-related shortfalls. Some tanker fixtures of gasoline loading in Europe for delivery to east of Suez ports failed in March, probably because of elevated freight rates. It remains to be seen if Nigeria can replicate its March milestone, given the small size of its net export position. A rise in local demand, fewer gasoline import permits issued, or lower run rates at Dangote could each tip the balance back towards more familiar territory. By George Maher-Bonnett Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia to underwrite refiners' spot fuel trades
Australia to underwrite refiners' spot fuel trades
Sydney, 10 April (Argus) — Australian government agency Export Finance Australia (EFA) will underwrite the financial risk of spot-market fuel and crude oil purchases by refiners Viva Energy and Ampol to support the country's fuel imports, energy minister Chris Bowen announced on 9 April. Under the agreement, the government will be able to direct where the additional fuel is distributed, prioritising regions facing tighter supply. The EFA is also finalising similar agreements with other companies. Government support will enable refiners to secure cargoes that would otherwise be considered uncommercial because of volatile prices and high spot-market costs. The EFA will update its public register with each transaction, Bowen said on 10 April. This falls under legislation passed last week that allowed the EFA to underwrite critical imports such as fuel and fertilizer, reducing the commercial risk for buyers as part of efforts to manage supply pressures linked to Iran's effective blockade of the strait of Hormuz. Under the legislation, the EFA can insure, indemnify, guarantee, lend, or enter into other arrangements including with third parties to support activities such as buying, selling, transporting, or storing a strategic material. Gasoil, jet fuel, crude oil and fuel oil are listed as strategic materials, as well as "any material experiencing supply chain disruptions". Australia's oil products demand averages nearly 1.1mn b/d, but its refineries supply only about one-fifth of that. This leaves the country heavily dependent on imports, leading to supply concerns since the US–Iran conflict began in late February. Ampol's 109,000 b/d Lytton refinery in Brisbane and Viva's 120,000 b/d Geelong refinery are the country's only major operating refineries. By Grace Dudley Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan to ease oil bottleneck, ensure stable supply
Japan to ease oil bottleneck, ensure stable supply
Osaka, 10 April (Argus) — The Japanese government has moved to ensure stable supplies of oil products, some of which have faced distribution bottlenecks, while noting that overall fuel supply remains sufficient nationwide despite disruptions to Middle East crude flows. Concerns over securing supplies of oil products are growing among a wide range of industries in Japan, as bottlenecks emerge at the distribution stage. Heavy fuel oil and diesel are no longer as readily procured as they had been in the past, an official at the trade and industry ministry Meti said on 9 April. The government has already requested refiners and importers to ensure stable supplies regardless of whether customers are affiliated or not and regardless of whether business relationships exist, Meti said after a task force meeting held on 9 April to ensure the stable supply of critical goods against a backdrop of tensions in the Middle East. Tokyo has asked major refiners, including Eneos, Idemitsu and Cosmo Oil, to conduct direct sales to task force-designated critical facilities, including those in the medical, transportation, public services, agriculture, fisheries, livestock and essential goods manufacturing sectors. Refiners, as well as wholesale distributors, should supply volumes at levels equal to that of the same month a year earlier as a guideline, Tokyo said. The government will not intervene with contract negotiations between refiners and consumers, the official said when Argus asked whether new agreements between refiners and consumers will follow existing terms including pricing and other conditions aside from volumes. It remains unclear why the bottleneck has emerged, even though overall supply volumes across Japan should be sufficient, the official said. Meti is assessing the cause of the problem but has no plan to compile a report, as the government prioritises addressing the situation. The government will work to increase crude processing and expect refiners to strengthen their own response frameworks, the official said. Japan sold 2.5mn b/d of refined products in February, before the onset of the Middle East conflict, according to the latest data from Meti. Sales of gasoil and fuel oil averaged 543,700 b/d and 282,000 b/d, respectively. Japan sees no immediate risk of disruption to oil products in the domestic market, as it makes use of private-sector and government stockpiles and boosts alternative imports. Tokyo on 10 April decided to release an additional 20 days' worth of crude oil from its national reserves from early May, following earlier releases equivalent to 30 days from the national stockpile, 15 days from private stockpiles and six days under a joint stockpile programme with oil producing countries. Japan has sufficient oil supplies to last beyond the end of this year , prime minister Sanae Takaichi said on 7 April. In addition to petroleum products, the task force is also working to ease bottlenecks in petroleum-derived medical supplies and paint thinners. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Diesel supplies to Poland's ports at record in March
Diesel supplies to Poland's ports at record in March
Kyiv, 9 April (Argus) — Seaborne diesel and gasoil supplies to Poland's Baltic Sea ports reached all- time highs in March, following a maintenance turnaround at the 210,000 b/d Gdansk refinery and market volatility arising from the Mideast Gulf war. Diesel arrivals were almost 776,000t in March, exceeding the record 667,000t of May 2022, Vortexa data show. State-owned Orlen, Aramco Fuels Poland, Unimot, Select Energy, BP and Oktan Energy shipped diesel to Poland's ports in March, market participants said. The first two emerged as the biggest importers, increasing purchases in March because of a planned turnaround at the Gdansk refinery, which is operated by a 70:30 joint venture of Orlen and Saudi state-controlled Aramco, and because of the uncertainty about diesel supplies from the Middle East conflict. Diesel deliveries to Gdansk surged to 308,000t in March from 54,000t in February. Market participants said Orlen imported six diesel cargoes to Gdansk last month. Deliveries to the port of Gdynia, the main import hub for independent traders in Poland, were almost 290,000t, and supplies to Swinoujscie-Szczecin accounted for 177,600t. Poland received seaborne diesel from the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region, the US, Finland and Sweden. Prices for seaborne diesel on a cif Gdynia basis in the second half of March fluctuated between $96.75/t and $127.75/t cif premiums to front-month Ice April gasoil futures. Polish companies exported seaborne diesel to Ukraine, mostly from Swinoujscie-Szczecin and Gdynia. Poland sold 160,500t of diesel delivered via Polish ports to Ukraine in March from 138,000t in February, according to market participants. Cumulative diesel imports to the Polish ports were 1.34mn t in January-March, up from 730,500t in the same period in 2025. By Ivan Kudinov Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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