Crisis Looms as Australian Tankers Fail to Sail Due to Gulf Conflict

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Australia’s Energy Minister Chris Bowen has confirmed that six tankers have cancelled or delayed their voyages to Australia due to the conflict in the Persian Gulf region.

“We understand that six ships have been cancelled out of 81 tankers… It does not mean that the current international environment is free of challenges. Of course, oil supplies to Asian refineries are slowing down, and that impacts us,” Bowen told the ABC media channel on Sunday.

The six tankers were scheduled to arrive from mid-April to mid-May, he said.

Bowen assured that oil supplies to Australia will proceed normally next month, with reserve oil stocks stable at pre-conflict levels, he added.

However, the situation could worsen after April, he said, as subsequent oil shipments become increasingly unpredictable.

He stated that Australia’s current reserve oil stocks amount to 38 days for petrol and 30 days each for diesel and aviation fuel.

On 28 February, the United States and Israel launched joint attacks against Iran, including Tehran, causing infrastructure damage and casualties.

Iran then carried out retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory and US military bases across the Middle East.

The US and Israel initially claimed the attacks were necessary to counter threats from Iran’s nuclear programme, but it later became clear that they actually sought a change of power in Iran.