Global storage not tanked up enough
World commercial oil inventories continued their declining trend over the past year. Oil storage owners face a mixed market
In this article, PE looks at the evolution of storage trends in the industry. Part I of II. Regional trends across the globe are uneven, with supply bottlenecks increasing storage demand in some areas, while other markets are flat to lower. With oil markets expected to remain in backwardation, trader demand for storage is expected to remain lacklustre through 2019. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), commercial oil inventories in rich countries, which peaked at the end of 2016, continue to draw. The IEA estimates that the second quarter saw a commercial year-on-year stock draw of 253m barrels, falling by 7.2m barrels in June from May for the eighth decline in 11 months. At th
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
