Directive holds prices steady, joins a growing international response to global fuel-market volatility, and delivers whole of Government relief in partnership with the Ministry of Finance

The Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Alexa Lightbourne, JP, MP, has issued the Retail Fuels (Consumer Protection Standstill) Ministerial Direction 2026 to prevent an increase in retail fuel prices that would have otherwise taken effect today (April 16, 2026). 

The Direction holds prices at current levels for up to six months and protects households already contending with the rising cost of groceries, electricity, and everyday essentials.

Under the Regulatory Authority’s (RA) proposed monthly adjustment, Bermudians would have paid an additional 11.1 cents per litre for gasoline, 15.3 cents per litre for diesel, and 18.8 cents per litre for kerosene beginning April 16. 

The Direction responds to conditions that have reshaped energy affordability worldwide. Global oil and refined-product markets have experienced sustained volatility driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine, disruption to maritime shipping routes and the cumulative effects of climate-related supply shocks. For small island economies, they import virtually all of their refined fuel and absorb the full cost of freight, insurance, and currency movement, and that volatility hits consumers harder, faster, and with fewer buffers than in larger markets.

The Direction was issued in consultation with the Regulatory Authority and in close coordination with the Premier and the Ministry of Finance, the Hon. David Burt JP, MP. 

Under an arrangement agreed with the Minister of Finance, the Ministry of Finance will provide targeted customs-duty relief to licensed fuel importers in an amount sufficient to offset any verified revenue shortfall attributable to compliance with the standstill. The Government absorbs the cost of stability, consumers are protected, and the fuel supply chain is kept whole.

What the Direction delivers for Bermudians:

• Prices held at current levels for up to six months
• Government backing through the Ministry of Finance: customs-duty relief ensures the stability 

The Direction forms part of the broader cost of living agenda central to the 2025 Throne Speech and the Ministry’s mandate. It builds on a record that includes the reduction of payroll taxes for working Bermudians, the introduction of Bermuda's first minimum wage, an increase in senior pensions, and targeted measures to address the cost of essential goods and energy.