Asia has received its first fuel oil shipment from Mexico in nine months as regional buyers seek alternative supplies following disruptions to Middle Eastern exports caused by the Iran conflict, according to Reuters, citing traders and shipping data.
The cargo, carried by the Suezmax tanker Orion, delivered around 160,000 metric tonnes (mt) of Mexican high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) to Singapore on 7 May after loading at Mexico’s Salina Cruz refinery on the Pacific coast. Industry sources said additional shipments from Mexico to Asia are expected in the coming months.
Incoming fuel oil cargoes from Mexico are expected to help ease concerns over falling inventories in Singapore, Asia’s key trading and bunkering hub, after the Iran conflict disrupted supplies from major Middle Eastern exporters such as Iraq and Kuwait through the Strait of Hormuz.
Mexico’s state energy company Pemex, through its trading arm PMI, has reportedly offered another 150,000 mt of HSFO cargo for June delivery to Asia through a tender.
Photo credit: Swapnil Bapat on Unsplash
Published: 11 May, 2026
