THE NETHERLANDS
Although Middle East oil production is near its prewar level, the refineries of Western Europe will continue to feel the pinch for some time to come. Reason: until the Suez Canal is un plugged, oil tankers must take a two-week detour around the Cape of Good Hope. At Rotterdam's Europoort, whose massive refineries get 70% of their oil from the Middle East, companies have dipped into reserves while eagerly awaiting the homeward-bound tankers. "They're out there floating around somewhere," says Theo P. van den Bergh, general manager of Shell Netherlands Refining Co., "and we're waiting, waiting, waiting."
Patience has never...