The shortage of jet fuel in the UK begins – last ship arrives from the Gulf arrives

98% of summer flights are ‘unfuelled’. - Time for contingency planning?

From here;

Last shipment of jet fuel from Saudi Arabia arrives off Kent, UK

‘The UK’s last shipment of jet fuel from Saudi Arabia has berthed in Kent, UK. Libyan-flagged tanker Maetiga was filmed berthed at the Isle of Grain terminal this morning (April 7).

The vessel is carrying the final shipment to escape the Middle East Gulf for the UK, having left Rabigh in Saudi Arabia on March 18. The UK imports around 50 percent of its jet fuel from the Middle East.

Running some numbers through Brave AI;

‘The vessel is an oil/chemical tanker with a Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) of 46,925 tonnes.’

‘ 47,000 tonnes = 58.75 million litres of jet fuel.

‘‘Large Widebody Airliners (e.g., Airbus A380, Boeing 747): These consume roughly 11,400 to 12,000 liters per hour, allowing the fuel to last approximately 5,000 to 5,400 hours.

‘ Total Summer Flights: Aviation analytics firm Cirium reports that 282,207 flights are scheduled to depart the UK for the entire summer period (June, July, and August) in 2024, a figure slightly below the 307,538 flights recorded in 2019.

Assuming there are 280,000 flights taking 2 hours each this year to the east and west Mediterranean, these will gobble up 560,000 ;liters of jet fuel.

The jet fuel on that ‘last ship’ is sufficient for 11,750 hours of flying or around 6,000 x 2 hour trips – compared to the280,000 ‘normally flown.

This implies that 98% of summer flights are ‘unfuelled’.

Time for contingency planning?

Travel expert Simon Calder reveals how airline passengers will likely be affected by fuel rationing

‘Last week, a spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told the Daily Mail that ‘Jet fuel shipments are continuing to arrive in the UK’ and stressed that the country ‘receives imports of jet fuel from India, US and the Netherlands as well as smaller amounts from a range of other countries’.

Travel expert Simon Calder wrote in the Independent how he estimates British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet passengers could be impacted by jet fuel rationing.

The experienced journalist explored the hypothetical possibility of what might happen if airlines have to reduce their fuel consumption by one fifth.

‘Meanwhile, former airline captain Emma Henderson MBE told the Daily Mail that it could reach a point where there is simply ‘not enough’ fuel.’

‘She said: ‘The bottom line is that if oil is not released from the Straits of Hormuz, there will come a point when there is not enough - and this is already happening in Europe where some airports have run out of jet fuel.’

Despite any unknowns over when and where jet fuel might be sourced from next, the aviation expert says holidaymakers don’t need to be too concerned.

Really!!

‘She advises people should plan ahead and consider alternate ways to travel and says, ‘I’m still planning and booking flights (my work as a professional speaker takes me around the world and I do a lot of work in Europe) but in the back of my mind I am also thinking about other ways I can get to places - by sea and land.

‘I’m thinking of it as a possible adventure rather than a blockage and I think we could all have that adaptable approach.’

Please take a (paid or unpaid) subscription or forward this article to those you think might be interested.

You can also donate via Ko-fi – any amount from three dollars upwards. Ko-fi donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/peterhalligan