21/10/2026
When tanker attacks make the front pages, the question we get asked is whether there will be enough gas this winter. The honest answer is that a physical shortage is unlikely. Most UK propane and butane comes from North Sea gas processing and UK refinery output, with the balance shipped in mainly from North West Europe and the US Gulf, so a ship hit in the Red Sea does not empty a terminal on the Humber.
What it does do is move the numbers underneath your quote. Ships going the long way round the Cape add thousands of nautical miles, charter rates go up, war-risk insurance loads on top, and that works through to the wholesale price. Bulk propane sits closest to the commodity, so bulk buyers usually notice first. Cylinder prices include filling, testing, valve maintenance, handling and delivery as well as the gas, so they behave differently.
If you buy propane, butane or dispense gas for a business across Yorkshire and the North West, the sensible move is a contract review and a delivery plan now rather than in January. The full breakdown of how the costs stack up is here: https://www.innergygasandequipment.co.uk/blog/lpg-supply-this-winter-what-middle-east-tanker-attacks-mean/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social
