Global Shipping Under Strain: Bunker Fuel Challenges And Escalating Costs

Supply Disruptions Drive Price Surge

The global shipping industry is facing mounting pressure as geopolitical tensions and logistical disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue constraining bunker fuel supplies. In Singapore, the world’s largest marine refuelling hub, bunker fuel prices have risen sharply from around $500 per metric ton before the conflict to more than $800 per metric ton by early May.

Wider Implications For International Trade

Although bunker fuel remains one of the most polluting refined oil products, it continues playing a critical role in global shipping, powering roughly 80% of international maritime trade. The tightening supply situation is particularly affecting Asian markets that rely heavily on Middle Eastern oil imports, raising concerns that prolonged shortages could drive further increases in shipping and logistics costs. Industry observers warn that higher fuel prices may eventually spread across global supply chains, affecting both shipping operators and consumers.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Adaptive Strategies In A Volatile Market

In response to the disruption, several Asian economies have adopted what analysts describe as an “energy triage” strategy. Measures include increasing coal consumption, securing additional crude supplies from Russia and reassessing nuclear energy plans as governments attempt to stabilise energy availability. Shipping companies are also weighing difficult operational decisions, including absorbing higher fuel costs, reducing vessel speeds or cutting sailings altogether.

Innovations And The Shift To Alternative Fuels

The latest disruptions have also renewed industry interest in lower-emission fuel alternatives. Representatives from Wärtsilä and The Caravel Group said the economic case for alternative fuels is strengthening as fuel price volatility increases. While large-scale production and infrastructure challenges remain, more shipowners are investing in dual-fuel technologies to improve operational flexibility and reduce long-term exposure to fuel market disruptions.

Ascending Costs And The Broader Economic Impact

Analysts warn that rising bunker fuel costs could place additional pressure on global trade networks, particularly for smaller shipping operators with limited capacity to absorb higher expenses. The increases may eventually translate into higher freight costs and consumer prices if supply disruptions persist. As uncertainty surrounding fuel supplies continues, markets are closely watching how the shipping sector adapts to the changing energy and geopolitical environment.

The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

Women Make Up A Majority Of The EU’s Science And Technology Workforce But The Real Gap Is Elsewhere

by News Editor

June 25, 2026

Women now make up the majority of the EU’s science and technology workforce. According to Eurostat, in 2025, more than 81.6 million people aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology occupations across the EU. Of those, 52.5% were women, equal to 42.8 million women. The number of women in these occupations rose by 27.9% compared with 2015, an increase of more than 9.3 million over a decade.

On the surface, the numbers resemble progress. However, Eurostat’s category requires context before that figure can be read accurately. The data refers to HRST, or Human Resources in Science and Technology, specifically people employed in science and technology occupations. These are roles where the main tasks require professional or technical knowledge in physical and life sciences, but also in social sciences and humanities. That definition is wider and broader than engineering, ICT, laboratory science, or high-tech research alone.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Zooming In

The gender picture changes once the data moves from a wider definition of the workforce to the narrower scientist-and-engineer (research and manufacturing) subgroup.

Scientists and engineers represented almost a quarter of all people employed in science and technology in the EU in 2025. Eurostat describes scientists and engineers as often being the innovators at the centre of technology-led development, making them an important subgroup to focus on separately.

Women accounted for only 40.8% of scientists and engineers in 2025, despite making up more than half of the wider category. That share has increased by a mere 0.5 percentage points over the past decade. The absolute number of women working as scientists and engineers rose from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025, despite the push from national and international organisations to increase the number of women in the field. Europe has expanded the number of women in science and technology occupations over ten years. However, that expansion has not extended equally into the scientist-and-engineer subgroup, where much of Europe’s research and innovation work is conducted.

In 2025, of the 39.4 million women aged 25 to 64 working in science and technology occupations in the EU, 35.5 million worked in service activities. Only 2.7 million worked in manufacturing. Women accounted for 57.5% of science and technology employment in services, but only 31.3% in manufacturing.

In 2025, the highest shares of women employed in science and technology occupations were recorded in Latvia at 62.4%, followed by Hungary’s Great Plain and North region at 61.1%, Estonia at 60.5%, Poland’s Central macroregion at 60.4%, and Lithuania at 60.3%. No EU country recorded a majority of women among science and technology workers in manufacturing.

Break-down

Eurostat’s figures measure employment in broad science and technology occupations. They do not show job security, pay levels, management roles, promotion rates, research leadership, or whether women are concentrated in junior or senior workplace positions.

The classification of “senior” also requires additional explanation. Eurostat reports that 45.9% of science and technology workers aged 25 to 64 in the EU were classified as “senior” HRST in 2025. In this dataset, “senior” refers to workers aged 45 to 64. It does not mean senior manager, senior researcher, team lead, or decision-maker.

A high female share in the wider Human Resource Science and Technology (HRST) category does not parallel equal representation across scientists, engineers, manufacturing roles, senior posts, pay, research funding, or decision-making. These figures also reflect the occupational mix inside each country or region, not only structural progress across all areas of science and technology.

The Case Of Cyprus

Eurostat data places Cyprus’s overall science and technology employment at 37.2% of the labour force in 2025, slightly above the EU-27 figure of 36.9%, and above Greece at 26.8%, Malta at 33.9%, and Turkey at 18.2%. This figure covers the total share of the labour force employed in science and technology across all genders.

Progress Or Work-in-Progress?

52.5% in the broad category. 40.8% among scientists and engineers. 31.3% in manufacturing. Europe’s gender gap in science and technology hasn’t closed yet, and there is still work to be done to encourage and support more women to enter the field, especially in research and manufacturing.

Let’s not wait another decade for another couple of percentage points of hope.

Breaking news