Trafigura Group and Phillips 66 are the leading recipients of US government waivers allowing the use of foreign-flagged tankers to ship oil, fuel and other cargoes between domestic ports.
Pakistan opted not to buy urgent cargoes of liquefied natural gas on the spot market, betting that hostilities which have closed the Strait of Hormuz will ease and cheaper supplies from Qatar will arrive soon.
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.
