"EIGHT WEEKS TO EMPTY SHELVES. SIXTY DAYS TO FAMINE." EVERYBODY INSULT THE OP!

[riversedge]

56. "For two months, the world coasted on oil that was already at sea. That floating inventory masked the full scale of what

I was just going to post this




https://markashryock.substack.com/p/eight-weeks-to-empty-shelves-sixty?r=3xnx7f&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

...............THE LAST TANKER

On May 3, 2026, a Hong Kong-flagged tanker called the New Corolla docked at the Port of Long Beach, California. It was carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude oil loaded at the Port of Basra on February 24, four days before the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran and the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed.

That tanker was the last one. The last oil shipment from the Middle East to reach American shores. It arrived, it unloaded, and now it is gone.

The buffer that kept fuel flowing for two months, tankers that were already at sea when the war started, is exhausted. Bryon Stock, director of the Chevron El Segundo refinery, one of the largest refineries on the West Coast, called it a “significant milestone that I’ve not seen or faced in my 27-year career.” His refinery normally receives 20 percent of its crude from the Arab Gulf. That supply is now zero. California imports roughly 60 percent of its crude. Roughly 20 percent of that came from the Middle East. Gone.

For two months, the world coasted on oil that was already at sea. That floating inventory masked the full scale of what was happening. It kept prices high but stable. It kept fuel flowing. It kept people thinking this was just another spike at the pump.

That illusion ended on May 3 in Long Beach.

We are no longer in a price crisis. We are entering a physical shortage. A point where fuel stops being available at any price because there is none left to sell...........................