Clearing up fuel price misunderstandings: the government's efforts

According to officials, restricted passage through the Red Sea has forced crude oil tankers to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, greatly extending voyage times.

The trip, which took about 24 days via the Suez Canal, now takes about 52 days through the Cape, more than double, creating logistical inefficiencies.

Large crude tankers are limited by the "Suezmax" size constraint, so they cannot pass through the Suez Canal fully loaded with 2 million barrels of crude.

As a result, ships carry only 1.5 million barrels to pass through the canal, then transfer the rest to other vessels, a workaround that adds extra cost.

Thanks to this diversification, domestic crude supply remains stable, and officials said crude continues to arrive steadily from other regions.

Since the Cape of Good Hope rerouting took effect after July 20, shipments that departed in early August are now arriving domestically in October.

As a result, supply through October and November is not expected to be a major burden, though officials said additional costs from the unstable situation are unavoidable.

Contrary to the public perception that falling international oil prices are not immediately reflected domestically, the government is using national funds to cover price fluctuations.

This keeps domestic pump prices well below international market levels. Domestic prices are higher than before the war but remain about 30 to 50 percent cheaper than in other countries.