Albanese locks in more fuel for Australia as United States asks for help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

By NICHOLAS COMINO, POLITICAL REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:33, 1 May 2026 | Updated: 01:40, 1 May 2026 Anthony Albanese's government has secured three additional shipments of jet fuel and diesel, as Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed Australia had been briefed on a US-led plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Brisbane, Perth and Darwin are set to receive two shipments containing 100 million litres of jet fuel and a separate 50 million litre diesel cargo. They are in addition to the eight shipments already announced, which will reach Australia in May and June. 'We have now secured more than 450 million litres of additional diesel and 100 million litres of additional jet fuel to keep Australia moving,' Albanese said. 'In the face of global instability, we are leaving no stone unturned as we work to keep Australia moving, working and flying.' The shipments were brought in under new rules that let the government support extra fuel imports. Since March, the federal government can take on the financial risk of deliveries companies may see as too expensive. Meanwhile, Penny Wong said Australia had been briefed on a US-led proposal to form an international coalition aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz in a 'post conflict' scenario. Anthony Albanese said the government had now secured more than 450 million litres of extra diesel and 100 million litres of jet fuel to keep the nation moving the new deliveries come on top of eight fuel shipments already locked in for arrival across May and June. The proposed coalition would be called the Maritime Freedom Construct and would be run jointly by the United States Department of State and the United States Department of Defense. An internal State Department cable sent to US embassies on Tuesday urged diplomats to lobby countries to join the MFC. 'The MFC will take steps to ensure safe passage, including providing real-time information, safety guidance, and coordination to ensure vessels can transit these waters securely,' a State Department official said. Countries could assist through diplomacy, intelligence sharing, sanctions enforcement, naval support or other measures. 'Your participation will strengthen our collective ability to restore freedom of navigation and protect the global economy,' the cable read. 'Collective action is essential to demonstrate unified resolve and impose meaningful costs on Iranian obstruction of transit through the Strait.' The MFC will also include a team that 'will serve as the diplomatic operations hub, uniting partners and the commercial shipping industry'. 'It will provide a platform to coordinate diplomatic actions and socialize and align economic measures designed to impose costs on Iran for disrupting maritime security,' the State Department official said. Penny Wong revealed Australia had been briefed on a US-led plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz  About one-fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the narrow strait (pictured) Australia had not yet made any decisions about what it would do, a government source told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 'We are working with all of our partners, the United Kingdom, France and the United States,' Wong said. 'We are engaging on options, noting that we have already provided defensive and diplomatic support to the region'. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.