The country is importing more fuel from suppliers in Singapore and Malaysia to make up for supply shortfalls from Vietnam and China, its energy minister said, as the US-Israeli strikes on Iran squeeze 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% are closed currently, Energy Minister Keo Rottanak said on Wednesday.
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% of Cambodia’s annual petroleum product imports in 2024, while Singapore and Malaysia made up nearly a third and China accounted for around 7%, according to data from International Trade Centre, a Geneva-based UN-WTO trade agency.
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. — Reuters
