Malaysian minister warns of ‘very, very serious’ energy crisis

A man fills his car with petrol in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Photo: EPA The Malaysian government has entered “crisis mode” in response to the ongoing global energy supply disruption, its transport minister has warned. “This is not a laughing or joking matter.

It is a very, very serious matter,” Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday, as quoted by the New Straits Times newspaper. “For the past month, energy costs have risen by more than 100 per cent.” According to news website Free Malaysia Today, Loke said: “Even though at this moment our lights are still on and petrol stations are operating normally without supply concerns, this is something Malaysians cannot take lightly because the impact is felt worldwide.” Global fuel shortages have been brought on by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that began on February 28.

While Malaysians had not noticed any changes yet, Loke said that “we cannot take things for granted, because sooner or later, we will feel the impact”.

He said that although Malaysia produced its own oil, it was still dependent on global markets and external supply chains. “The government’s focus now is to ensure that fuel supply can be sustained.

Our current supply is not expected to be disrupted until May.

But if the war prolongs, we cannot guarantee that supply will not be affected.

This is something all of us must pay full attention to.” Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke speaks at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025.

Loke has warned that Malaysia cannot guarantee its energy supply will not be affected if the Iran war continues.

Photo: May Tse According to state operator Petronas, Malaysia produces 660,000 barrels of oil and about 200 million cubic metres (7 billion cubic feet) of gas a day.

The country has an estimated 17 billion barrels in reserve.

Malaysia’s neighbours have not been as fortunate.

Many petrol stations across Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have had to close, causing long queues outside those that are still open.

On Sunday, a desperate Thai undertaker drove a corpse to a station to convince attendants that he was seeking extra supplies to cremate the body, not to resell on the black market.

Philippine became the first nation to declare an energy emergency on March 24.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said the conflict had disrupted global energy markets, “thereby posing a threat to the country’s energy security”, according to Reuter

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