By David Uberti

An emergency release of oil reserves to offset supplies disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz could take weeks to hit the water-and even longer to get where supplies are ultimately needed.

Most countries' stockpiled petroleum takes around two weeks to be released, say Energy Aspects analysts. Crude held in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve's massive salt caverns across the Gulf Coast can reach the market 13 days after a presidential decision, according to the Energy Information Administration.

"But a 45-day shipping time to Asia means any U.S. SPR exported will not reach where it is required in Asia today until mid-May at the earliest," Energy Aspects analysts told clients.

Countries including the U.S., Japan and others said they would release about 400 million barrels from their stockpiles. "The flow rate matters even more, as not all of this volume can be released in one go," Energy Aspects wrote. The analysts added that the previous maximum rate of such releases--1.3 million barrels a day--would cover less than one-tenth of the current supply disruption.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 12, 2026 12:47 ET (16:47 GMT)

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