16/04/26
War reshapes fuel flows Africa, Pakistan: Clarification
Clarifies in 8th paragraph that gasoline cargoes with quality issues did not
originate from India Dubai, 16 April (Argus) — Gasoline buyers in East Africa
and Pakistan are drawing supplies from Europe, India and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea
refineries as war-related disruptions delay cargoes flows from key Mideast Gulf
exporters, shipping data and market sources. In Kenya, April gasoline supply has
so far remained largely intact, but the loss of cargoes from the UAE, which was
the country's largest supplier last year, has already shifted sourcing towards
Europe, India and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea refineries. No new vessels have been
chartered from the UAE since the start of the Iran war, while some Mideast Gulf
cargoes bound for Kenya have also been rescheduled, a Kenya-based market source
said. UAE supplied 48pc of Kenya's gasoline imports in 2025, data from oil
analytics firm Vortexa show. Despite the US-Iran ceasefire announced on 7 April,
shipowners remain wary of lifting cargoes from Mideast Gulf ports, with
sentiment further dampened by Iranian warnings of retaliation against regional
ports following US naval blockade plans . Most of the Mideast Gulf-origin
gasoline reaching Kenya is now coming from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports of Yanbu
and Jizan, which are located outside the strait of Hormuz. At least 72,000t of
finished gasoline has arrived from the two Saudi ports since the conflict began
— the first such flows since November. The Kenyan government said supply
agreements with Middle East national oil companies remain on track through
mid-April, with more deliveries expected by the end of the month . But that
contrasts with signs of strain in the domestic transport sector, where operators
say some filling stations are seeing long queues while others have run dry. In a
circular seen by Argus, the Kenya Transporters Association said some operators
were facing fuel rationing, limits on bulk supply and tighter credit from oil
marketing companies, despite official assurances that stocks remain sufficient.
Europe has increasingly become a notable supplier, with at least six vessels
booked since 28 February to transport a total 512,000t of gasoline from Belgium
and Latvia to Kenya. In comparison, only two vessels carrying around 120,000t
gasoline in December, and one carrying 71,000t in January had headed to Kenya
from Europe. India has also stepped in supplying smaller cargoes. Around 60,000t
of gasoline was shipped from India to Kenya on the Torm Emma on 2 April,
according to Vortexa data. Separately, market participants said some cargoes
originally bound for other destinations and later diverted to Kenya had quality
challenges, including higher sulphur content and lower octane specifications. A
similar pattern is emerging in Tanzania, where Indian gasoline cargoes are
making up for the reduced UAE supplies. No vessels have departed the UAE for
Tanzania since 28 February, even though the UAE was its second-largest supplier
in 2025 after India. In comparison, the UAE shipped around 34,000t of gasoline
to Tanzania in February and 38,000t in January this year. The only Mideast Gulf
cargo that has reached Tanzania since the war began was a 35,000t shipment from
Saudi Arabia's Yanbu refinery — the first such flow from there since December.
India shipped about 140,000t to Tanzania in March, up from roughly 70,000t in
February, according to ship-tracking data. A local trader said some of those
volumes are facing discharge delays because of berth constraints at Tanzanian
ports. Pakistan is seeing a similar shift in its gasoline trade flows as well,
with European cargoes replacing disrupted Mideast Gulf supplies. At least two
vessels — the Lamu and Metro Mistral — are due to discharge in Pakistan in April
carrying gasoline from Europe, according to ship-tracking data. But this
atypical trade flow is expensive. The Metro Mistral was chartered by
TotalEnergies on 10 March at $5.37mn for its Europe-to-Pakistan voyage. In
comparison, Oman's OQ chartered a vessel for $1.55mn for a recent Sohar-Pakistan
gasoline voyage. The last heard Fujairah-Pakistan booking was around $750,000,
up from roughly $500,000 before the war. By Rithika Krishna Send comments and
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