By May 2026, drivers in Fiji had learned to expect queues at petrol stations. In a Guardian report, 53-year-old Agbar Mohammad arrived anticipating a line. A global oil disruption had an outsized impact on Pacific island states that depend heavily on imported fuel.
Fuel for an island travels through producers, refineries, ships, ports, storage and finally the forecourt. A blockage anywhere along that chain becomes visible at the end as parked cars and waiting drivers. Fiji's queue reflected not just local demand, but geography: long sea routes and dependence on a small number of supplying countries.