The global oil market is currently facing the most severe supply disruption in history due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, according to a monthly oil market report released on Thursday by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
If shipping does not return to normal quickly, the global crude oil supply will drop by approximately 8 million barrels per day by the end of March, the report predicts. With limited alternative shipping capacity to bypass critical waterways and oil storage facilities in the Middle East nearing saturation, Gulf countries have reduced their total daily crude oil production by at least 10 million barrels.
The transportation volume of crude oil and petroleum products through the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted from an average of about 20 million barrels per day prior to the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran to its current "extremely low levels," said the report.
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