The conflict in Iran that began at the end of February 2026 triggered what global bunker supplier Bunker One describes internally as a “tsunami of demand” — a wave that started in East Africa and has since moved across West Africa and into Western Europe and the Americas.
Peter Fynsk, managing director of Bunker One Africa, shared the company’s experience on parent company Bunker Holding’s Bunkers Only podcast, as reported by Ship & Bunker. His account offers a detailed picture of how a single geopolitical event reshuffled global bunker demand patterns in a matter of weeks.
Hormuz Shutdown Redirects Vessel Traffic
According to Fynsk, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the subsequent collapse of bunker sales at Fujairah were the catalysts behind a major shift in how vessels are routing their voyages.
“Instead of going up to Fujairah and into the Persian Gulf, more vessels started changing the route and steaming around the Cape,” Fynsk said, as quoted by Ship & Bunker.
Ship & Bunker reports that Fujairah’s total sales excluding lubricants reached 7.40 million m3 in 2025, and that between 70 and 80 percent of this demand has shifted away since the war began.
Mauritius Among the First to See the Surge
Mauritius was one of the earliest and most significant beneficiaries of the rerouting, according to Fynsk. Ship & Bunker reports him stating that bunker volumes at the island port increased by roughly 60 percent at the start of the conflict.
However, the surge quickly created supply-side pressure. As Fynsk explained, operating from an island on the eastern side of Africa makes it difficult to secure sufficient fuel and equipment to absorb that kind of demand spike. As a result, demand has continued flowing further into the African continent.
“We’ve seen that the lead time for resupply has come up from 10–14 days to up to one to two months now,” Fynsk said, according to Ship & Bunker, adding that the company is focused on ensuring adequate fuel availability to service its clients.
Ship & Bunker also notes that bunker demand at Port Louis reportedly nearly doubled to close to 1 million mt in 2024. Bunker One holds approximately 20,000 m3 of marine fuel storage at the port and supplies HSFO, VLSFO, and LSMGO through its barge, the MT Tulip.
Does This Matter to You?
For vessel operators, charterers, and bunker traders, this development carries direct practical implications. The rerouting of traffic away from the Persian Gulf and around the Cape of Good Hope is placing new demand pressure on East African and West African bunkering hubs — ports that are not traditionally equipped to absorb large volume swings at speed.
The extended resupply lead times Fynsk describes — rising from under two weeks to as long as two months — are a clear signal that supply chain flexibility is under strain. Operators relying on ports like Port Louis for bunker calls should expect tighter availability windows and potentially elevated prices driven by demand concentration.
For those monitoring bunker market risk or planning voyages on routes now bypassing Fujairah, understanding which ports are experiencing volume surges and which are approaching capacity limits is increasingly critical for operational planning.
Gulf Bunkering does not provide operational or security guidance. This article is for informational purposes only. Operators should consult flag state authorities, P&I clubs, and relevant advisories for decisions relating to transit planning.
Sources: Ship & Bunker
