US uses unusual routes to send jet fuel to Japan, Philippine bases amid Hormuz closure

An unusual series of cargoes of military-grade fuel that is due to sail from the US across the Pacific Ocean illustrates how far the war in Iran has disrupted the global oil supply chain.

A request for offers to ship 235,000 barrels of jet fuel from Cherry Point in Blaine, Washington, where BP has a refinery, to Subic Bay in the Philippines, a strategic access point and logistics hub for US naval operations, was issued on Thursday, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. The cargo is scheduled to depart in early June.

A separate tender was issued for 260,000 barrels of military-grade jet fuel or diesel from Cherry Point to a port in the Yokose area of Sasebo, Japan, for voyages in May and June, the document says. The Yokose wharf serves US Navy ships.

The shipments would add to a growing trend of American fuel heading to regions that typically rely on supplies from the Strait of Hormuz.

The Asia-Pacific region has been particularly affected because of its dependence on crude and fuel flows from the waterway, which has been constrained by the Middle East conflict. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the US will soon have two aircraft carriers blockading the strait.

A spokesperson for US Transportation Command, which oversees bulk-fuel management and delivery for the military, declined to comment on or confirm the proposals. The military frequently uses different routes, including for the purposes of testing new routes or reaching specific drop-off locations, the spokesperson said.

BP declined to comment, as the company generally does not comment on trading or shipping movements.