The fuel crisis is affecting an array of industries, from aviation to F&B, across the global economy especially in geographies and industries dependent on GCC LNG and oil.
South(-east) Asia is exposed to the crisis even more than Europe, with India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan highly dependent on imported fuel supplies.
While the long-term response will require diversification into alternative energy sources and partners, the immediate priority is clear: improving how existing fuel supply is managed.
Managing Fuel Supply
In the Middle East, the immediate focus is on managing existing fuel supply more efficiently.
Current geopolitical pressures highlight how exposed fuel operations can be to supply chain disruption and availability constraints than pricing alone.
“Much of the infrastructure across the region was built fifteen to twenty years ago and wasn’t designed with real-time technology in mind, so operators are now having to adapt legacy infrastructure to a very different operating reality,” according to Fergus Heading, ATG Business Development Director at Dover Fueling Solutions.
Rising prices and tighter supply are increasing the value of every litre, which is driving a stronger focus on control and accountability.
The spot price for current physical cargoes of Brent crude oil soared last Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, according to S&P Global.
Mitigating Supply Risk
According to industry experts, there’s a growing need for real-time visibility of fuel assets.
Knowing exactly how much fuel is available at any given moment whilst ensuring there’s no loss through leakage or inefficiency is critical, says Heading.
“Technologies such as automatic tank gauging (ATG) and wetstock management enable continuous monitoring, allowing operators to detect discrepancies early, reduce losses, and respond quickly to potential shortages or delivery delays,” according to the ATG Business Development Director.
Whilst these solutions have been around for some time, the urgency to manage fuel in a more proactive and informed way to mitigate long term supply risks is changing.
FY26 and Beyond
Looking ahead to FY26, Heading says it is still too early to tell how supply uncertainty and cost pressures will evolve, but operators will need to be prepared either way.
What we are seeing is a growing recognition that having real-time monitoring and remote access to data can make a real difference, supporting better planning and enabling faster, more informed responses when conditions change.
“At the same time, adoption will continue to come down to practical factors like cost, ease of deployment and how well solutions work with existing infrastructure. This is especially relevant for older sites that weren’t designed with digital integration in mind, where low-disruption, flexible technologies are likely to be more attractive, ” says Heading.
The direction of travel must be towards greater visibility and control over fuel operations in the immediate term whilst looking at a shift in fuel sourcing in the medium to long term post-war.
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