Cambodia turns to Singapore, Malaysia for fuel as Vietnam, China restrict supplies

The US-Israeli war on Iran has choked LNG shipments to Asia. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE – Cambodia is importing more fuel from suppliers in Singapore and Malaysia to make up for supply shortfalls from Vietnam and China, its energy minister told Reuters on March 18, as the US-Israeli war on Iran squeezes fuel availability globally.

About a third of the 6,300 petrol stations in the country of nearly 18 million people closed last week due to uncertainty over the impact of the conflict on fuel prices, but only 5.77 per cent are closed currently, Energy Minister Keo Rottanak told Reuters.

Vietnam and China have restricted fuel exports until at least the end of March to arrest potential domestic shortages. Cambodia and neighbouring Thailand stopped fuel trade after the onset of an armed conflict in July.

Thailand and Vietnam together accounted for over 60 per cent of Cambodia’s annual petroleum product imports in 2024, while Singapore and Malaysia made up nearly a third and China accounted for around 7 per cent, according to data from International Trade Centre, a Geneva-based UN-WTO trade agency.

Mr Rottanak said Cambodia was boosting imports from Singapore and Malaysia due to export restrictions elsewhere, adding that existing suppliers are also trying to export fuel despite tightening supply.

“We’re still able to import a little bit from China. But because we have strong partnerships with global suppliers Total and Chevron, they are able to mitigate some of the risk,” he said in an interview with Reuters.