Oil Storage Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Oil Storage Market Trends and Insights

Rising Global Energy Demand and Petroleum-Product Consumption

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects petroleum-product demand to expand by 1.8 million b/d between 2026 and 2028, led by aviation-fuel growth in Asia-Pacific and diesel in sub-Saharan Africa.^{[1]International Energy Agency, “Oil 2024,” iea.org} Accelerating industrialization in India drove a 4.2% increase in refinery throughput during 2025, highlighted by Indian Oil Corporation’s 300,000 b/d capacity addition at its Gujarat complex.^{[2]Indian Oil Corporation, “Refinery Expansion Update,” iocl.com} Tank-farm utilization in China’s Shandong province surpassed 92% in early 2025, underscoring infrastructure lag relative to crude-import quotas. Operators co-located with refinery clusters leverage resilient tariff premiums as just-in-time inventory strategies become fragile under logistics stress.

Strategic Petroleum Reserve Build-Outs by Governments

Washington allocated USD 1.5 billion in fiscal 2025 to replenish the U.S. SPR after emergency releases depleted inventories to 395 million barrels, its lowest level since 1983.^{[3]U.S. Energy Information Administration, “International Outlook,” eia.gov} Beijing’s state reserve capacity reached roughly 1.0 billion barrels by end-2025, equal to 90 days of net imports, as part of a sovereignty-focused energy agenda.^{[4]National Energy Administration of China, “Strategic Reserves Progress Report,” nea.gov.cn} India’s third phase added 6.5 million barrels across Chandikhol and Padur, lifting national reserves to 39 million barrels. These sovereign procurements pivot demand from spot leasing toward long-term tariffs, trimming merchant margins yet lifting baseline utilization for operators that accept lower returns. A European Commission proposal to mandate 90-day cover across member states could stimulate another 50 million barrels of capacity before 2028.

Volatile Crude-Oil Prices Increasing Commercial Stock-Holding

Brent prices oscillated between USD 70 and USD 92 per barrel through 2025, repeatedly flipping the forward curve into contango and rewarding time-spread storage plays. Six-month spreads above USD 3.50 typically render land-based tankage profitable, driving Cushing, Oklahoma, utilization toward 88% and Fujairah, UAE, toward 91% during Q4 2025. Floating storage on very large crude carriers (VLCCs) also surged as charter rates touched USD 45,000 per day. Operators with flexible lease contracts captured windfall margins, while those on fixed tariffs lagged.

Growing Refinery Throughput in Emerging Economies

Asia-Pacific hosts 2.6 million b/d of the 4.9 million b/d global refinery additions scheduled for 2024-2028, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s 400,000 b/d Daxie complex and Saudi Aramco’s 400,000 b/d Jazan refinery each embedded more than 20 million barrels of tank capacity into plant designs. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation’s Visakhapatnam expansion paired 3 million barrels of new storage with predictive-maintenance software to minimize demurrage.

AI-Driven Predictive Tank-Farm Optimization Adoption

Vopak deployed Honeywell Forge analytics across Singapore and Rotterdam in 2025, trimming unplanned downtime by 18% and boosting annual tariff revenue by USD 12 million. Kinder Morgan piloted a digital-twin platform at the Houston Ship Channel, lowering truck-loading queues by 22 minutes per transaction. Only Tier-1 operators with access to USD 5-10 million technology budgets are scaling such systems, widening the performance gap with smaller independents.

Modular Floating Storage Units for Offshore Production Zones

Converted or purpose-built floating storage units (FSUs) provide roughly 2 million barrels of movable capacity that can be redeployed within 30 days, a fraction of the 36 months typical for greenfield terminals. Petrobras chartered two FSUs for pre-salt fields in 2025, accelerating time-to-first-oil by 18 months. Upfront costs run USD 80-120 million, about 30% below comparable land-based capacity, although marine OPEX remains higher.

Segment Analysis

By Storage Facility: Caverns Hold Lead while Above-Ground Tanks Accelerate

Underground caverns controlled 61.8% of the oil storage market share in 2025, largely because salt-dome geology yields operating costs near USD 3.50 per barrel versus USD 12 for above-ground systems. China’s Huangdao and Zhoushan SPR sites illustrate how coastal aquifers provide secure, surveillance-resistant capacity for sovereign reserves. Above-ground tanks, however, are projected to log a 6.4% CAGR through 2031, driven by rapid-deployment schedules, lower permitting barriers, and growing use in offshore production zones where modular designs shorten construction to 18 months.

Commercial operators favor above-ground tanks because higher product turnover and blending flexibility offset their larger evaporation losses. Fiberglass-reinforced plastic vessels are winning conversions from carbon steel in sour-crude and high-sulfur fuel-oil service thanks to reduced corrosion maintenance. The Bryan Mound and Big Hill SPR caverns in Texas remain emblematic of cavern economics, yet Vopak’s 2025 installation of FRP vessels at Fujairah signals a shifting value calculus for commercial terminals.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Construction Material: Carbon Steel Dominates yet Composites Capture Premium Niches

Carbon steel accounted for 40.4% of construction-material demand within the oil storage market size in 2025 because of mature fabrication supply chains and comprehensive API 650 certification. It stays cost-advantaged for large-diameter tanks above 50 meters. Still, fiberglass-reinforced plastic is slated to grow at 6.9% CAGR as owners weigh full lifecycle economics rather than headline capex.

Lifecycle modeling shows corrosion management consumes roughly 35% of a steel tank’s total ownership cost over 30 years, whereas FRP eliminates internal coating and cathodic-protection budgets. Duplex stainless steel is gaining traction in sulfur-rich crude service; Saudi Aramco opted for that material in its Yanbu expansion to anticipate Manifa blend properties. Regulatory pressure on volatile organic compound emissions further tilts European gasoline and naphtha storage toward FRP and stainless steel solutions.

By Product Stored: Aviation Fuel Emerges as Fastest-Growing Category

Crude oil remained the largest product with 46.5% volume share in 2025, but aviation fuel is forecast to register a 7.5% CAGR through 2031, the fastest among all categories. Passenger traffic is expected to exceed 4.7 billion enplanements during 2026, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic peak. The European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation regulation mandates 2% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend by 2025, increasing to 6% by 2030, spurring dedicated SAF-compatible tankage at airports such as Singapore Changi, which commissioned 500,000 barrels in 2025.

Gasoline and naphtha mirror overall oil storage market growth rates on petrochemical pull, whereas diesel storage benefits from freight logistics expansion in India and Africa. Fuel-oil tankage faces structural contraction as IMO 2020 sulfur caps reduce high-sulfur demand. Product mix evolution, therefore, mirrors downstream decarbonization timelines: aviation and petrochemical chains expand, while long-haul road transport faces electrification beyond 2030.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Capacity Range: Mega-Terminals Anchor Share while Distributed Networks Gain Momentum

Facilities above 500,000 m³ represented 39.9% of the oil storage market share in 2025, leveraging scale economies to push storage fees below USD 0.50 per barrel per month. Saudi Aramco’s 50-million-barrel Ras Tanura hub typifies the model with integrated pipelines to domestic refineries and export jetties. Vopak’s 13-million-barrel Europoort terminal demonstrates similar advantages in Europe’s largest refining corridor.

Conversely, units below 100,000 m³ will record the highest growth at 7.2% CAGR because distributed assets alleviate inland bottlenecks and enable traders to capture regional arbitrage. Bharat Petroleum’s 50,000-m³ modular depots along Indian truck corridors cut diesel haulage costs by 12% after rollout in 2024-2025. Mid-sized terminals between 100,000 and 250,000 m³ deliver balanced flexibility for regional refineries, posting a 5.8% CAGR.

By Application: Producers Dominate Today while SPR Agencies Outpace Growth

Oil and gas producers owned 41.7% application share in 2025, using captive tankage to buffer upstream output swings and optimize crude-slate blends at integrated refineries. ExxonMobil alone operates about 25 million barrels along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Strategic petroleum reserve entities, however, will expand at an 8.1% CAGR through 2031, outstripping all other segments as sovereigns re-evaluate energy security after 2022 supply shocks.

Refineries represent 28% application demand with inventory ratios of roughly 15 days of crude and 10 days of products, while traders hold 18% leveraging market structure plays. Petrochemical users register a 5.5% CAGR on the back of naphtha and LPG feedstock demand in Asia-Pacific crackers. China’s SPR alone could absorb 150 million barrels of new capacity by 2028, or about 15% of all global additions forecast over the period.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific controlled 42.3% of 2025 revenue and will sustain a 5.8% CAGR through 2031, led by refinery throughput additions totaling 2.6 million b/d between 2024 and 2028. Independent refiners in Shandong province lifted storage capacity by 8 million barrels during 2024-2025, yet utilization stayed above 90% amid higher crude-import quotas. India’s third SPR phase delivered 6.5 million barrels of new caverns, bringing total sovereign reserves to 39 million barrels and raising national cover to 9.5 days of 2025 net imports. ASEAN import terminals expanded to meet rising diesel and jet-fuel needs, with Singapore’s Jurong Island retaining its role as a regional hub.

North America captured roughly 24% oil storage market share in 2025 and is expected to grow at a 4.9% CAGR as refinery rationalization balances Gulf Coast export-terminal expansion. Cushing, Oklahoma’s working capacity sits near 76 million barrels, yet utilization averaged only 62% in mid-2025 after pipeline reversals routed Permian flows directly to coastal refineries. Kinder Morgan and Enterprise Products added 12 million barrels of new export storage around Corpus Christi and Houston to support 4 million b/d of outbound crude. The U.S. SPR refill program targets 180 million barrels by 2027, partially offsetting slower demand growth.

Europe, the Middle East, and Africa together generated 34% of the 2025 turnover with varying momentum. Europe advances at 4.2% CAGR as refinery closures moderate demand but energy-security initiatives lift strategic stocks. Vopak added 2 million barrels at Rotterdam in 2025 to serve renewable diesel and LNG-to-liquids trades. The Middle East exhibits stronger growth at 6.1% CAGR thanks to downstream integration by Saudi Aramco and ADNOC, alongside Fujairah’s expansion as an inter-regional bunkering center. Africa’s capacity builds cluster around Nigeria, Angola, and Egypt, balancing offshore production storage with product import terminals where domestic refining lags consumption.