Britain's reliance on oil from the Western Hemisphere did not describe the supply needs of the whole Empire. The figures quoted from Boyd's book put imperial requirements, including supported allies and neutrals, at 24.5 million tons for April through December 1942. Plans assigned 41 percent of that total to Middle Eastern sources. Abadan supplied 75 percent of the Middle Eastern contribution and 66 percent of eastern imperial requirements, including Australia, Asia and South Africa. Losing it would have required another 1.5 million deadweight tons of tankers to obtain replacement supplies. The United States could not provide that capacity alongside its other commitments, so the loss would have forced substantial reductions in oil use.
Notable Point · 22:19-23:38
Abadan oil reduced the Empire's tanker requirement
Losing Abadan would have forced Britain to seek more distant oil supplies without enough tankers to carry them.