Fuel crisis bites as countries adopt alternative cushioning steps

Motorists fueling at a petrol station along Bunyala Road, Nairobi. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The ongoing war involving Iran and the United States has plunged the world into what analysts describe as the worst energy crisis in modern history, forcing countries to adopt emergency measures to cope with soaring fuel prices and dwindling supplies.

At the heart of the crisis is the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route through which about 20 percent of the world's oil and gas normally passes.