Guyana is facing acute fuel shortages and surging pump prices as Middle East tensions disrupt global oil shipments, leaving residents waiting hours at gas stations and warning that the crisis is driving up the cost of living.
Oil prices spiked after U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran in late February, compounded by the near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping lane that normally carries one‑fifth of global crude. The disruption has driven up costs and delayed deliveries, exposing Guyana's reliance on imported fuel and triggering the shortages now seen at pumps nationwide.
Despite holding some of the world's largest per‑capita oil reserves, Guyana lacks domestic refining capacity, forcing it to export crude and buy back gasoline and diesel at higher prices.
In the capital Georgetown, queues stretching hundreds of meters have become routine at gas stations, with drivers waiting hours to fill up. Residents say the crisis has worsened in recent weeks as shipping delays and higher import costs squeeze local supply, forcing families to cut back and raising fears of broader economic strain.
"It's just the long lines at various gas stations. You have to wait hours to reach the pump," said Bari, a resident.
"We're suffering because of the war going on in the Middle East. It's never happened [here] before. And this is a tight situation right now for the economy. It's putting [the price of] everything [up] , the cost of living is going to go up," said Jordi Joseph, another resident.
Fuel scarcity has also been reported in smaller towns far from the capital. Over the past month, some stations have run out entirely. In one riverside community, two of three fueling points serving boats were out of fuel, forcing all vessels to crowd into the only remaining site.
"And we have three service stations that provide services for the boats. They have a ramp over the water. So, we would just go up and fill our tanks. Today, two of them is out of gasoline, one alone is falling [low in fuel], so all the boats are crowded there today, for that amount of gasoline. All of this has been caused by the war and we are getting a shortage of fuel presently here," said Murphy Gomes, a resident.
Middle East conflict triggers fuel shortages, drives up prices in Guyana
