South Africa is boosting oil-product imports from the US to help replace lost supplies from the Middle East, in another example of how the conflict is reshaping trade and threatening higher costs for consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the war, Africa\u2019s top oil products importer sourced the bulk of its diesel, petrol and jet fuel from Gulf states \u2014 namely Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But with flows through the key\u00a0Strait of Hormuz<\/a>\u00a0choked off and oil prices now much higher, the nation has been forced to turn elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At least four tankers unloaded about 165,000 tons of refined fuels from the US this month in Durban, where most of South Africa\u2019s imports land, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s roughly twice the amount of American crude and fuel imports the country received in January<\/strong>, according to the US Energy Information Administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another tanker has arrived in Durban and at least three more laden with American fuel are headed to the port before month-end, the data show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Switching to suppliers that are farther away can further add to import costs that have risen because of higher fuel prices and freight rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Countries and industries are trying to secure fuel following the severe hit on Middle East supplies. Asia\u2019s emerging economies have borne the brunt of the energy crisis, with India, for example, suffering liquefied petroleum gas\u00a0shortages<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fuel crunches have also spread to other parts of the world, with Europe facing a deficit of\u00a0jet fuel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n