Oil inventories in the Fujairah industrial zone (UAE) posted a 20% year-on-year increase in 2025, the first annual rise since 2022, despite an 8% decline in the final week of December. Total storage stood at 18.694 million barrels as of December 29, an eight-week low. The data was released by the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone on December 31, based on S&P Global Energy statistics tracked since 2017.
The last annual increase was recorded in 2022, when inventories rose by 29%. Since then, volumes had either declined or stagnated, making Fujairah less attractive for traders operating short-term supply contracts. The 2025 rebound restores the port’s position as a regional transshipment hub processed oil products.
Heavy distillates drive the headline growth
The increase was uneven across categories. Heavy distillates, used for power generation and shipping, rose 32% year on year – the largest gain since 2019, when the category jumped 62%. On a weekly basis, volumes fell 6% to 9.909 million barrels, still an eight-week low. Category breakdown:
- Heavy distillates (fuel oil, marine fuel): +32% year on year, -6% week on week to 9.909 million barrels
- Light distillates (gasoline, naphtha): +9.8% year on year, -11% week on week to 6.661 million barrels (five-week low)
- Middle distillates (jet fuel, diesel): +7.9% year on year, -8% week on week to 2.124 million barrels (three-month low)
The price spread between low-sulfur marine fuel (0.5% sulfur) and high-sulfur fuel oil (380 CST) stood at $96 per metric ton on December 29 – $425 versus $329 delivered into Fujairah, according to Platts assessments (part of S&P Global Energy). The spread explains why shipowners continue to move toward more expensive but cleaner fuels as IMO 2020 regulations remain in force.
Read also: Dubai bets on sports as an economic asset.
Weekly dip does not change the annual trend
The late-December decline appears to be a technical correction following stock build-ups in November and December. Traders locked in positions ahead of the holiday period, a typical seasonal pattern. The 20% annual increase is more significant than short-term volatility, signaling that Fujairah has reasserted itself as a logistics node linking Asia, Africa, and Europe. For those tracking today real estate news, rising oil inventories point to the robustness of the emirate’s industrial sector.
Read also: UAE raises minimum wage for citizens to DH 6,000.
In this context, the benefits of using concierge support when working with logistics and industrial assets in the region become clear: warehouse and terminal operators require rapid access to up-to-date pricing, volume data, and regulatory updates, all of which directly affect deal margins. The 20% annual inventory growth further confirms that Fujairah’s infrastructure is handling higher throughput, with demand for storage capacity likely to continue rising
