{
  "id": 912007,
  "title": "ARA fuel oil stocks climb 5% so far this month",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/ara-fuel-oil-stocks-climb-5-so-far-this-month",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-14T21:00:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hellenic Shipping News",
    "slug": "hellenic-shipping-news",
    "url": "https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/ara-fuel-oil-stocks-climb-5-so-far-this-month/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fuel oil stocks in the ARA region have risen by 5% this month, according to the latest figures from Vortexa cargo flows data. This increase comes after the stocks hit their lowest level in over a decade in May, when they fell by 17% from that point. However, the current inventory levels remain 34% lower than they were in February, prior to the conflict in the Middle East.\n\nAs of mid-August, the ARA hub had imported 381,000 barrels per day (b/d) of fuel oil, a significant jump from July's average of 159,000 b/d. The majority of these shipments originated from Venezuela (21%), Benin (20%) and Lithuania (10%). On the export side, the region has shipped 87,000 b/d of fuel oil so far in August, down from July's 175,000 b/d. Major destinations for these exports include Mauritania (21%), Norway (18%) and Spain (12%).\n\nIndependent gasoil inventories, which encompass diesel and heating oil, have also declined by 5% in August compared to July, according to Insights Global data. These inventories have fallen to their lowest level in nearly four years. Gasoil imports have risen to 129,000 b/d by mid-August, up from an average of 119,000 b/d in June, with the United States (26%), UK (11%) and France (8%) being the primary sources.\n\nThe tight availability of bulk carriers in the ARA region means that buyers are advised to expect lead times of around 5-7 days to secure competitive offers from a variety of suppliers.",
  "summary": "Fuel oil stocks have increased by around 17% from May, when they hit their lowest level in more than a decade. However, inventories remain 34% below February levels, before the conflict broke out in the Middle East. The ARA hub has imported 381,000 b/d of fuel oil till date in August, a sharp increase from ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}