Six fuel ships bound for Australia cancelled as Bowen concedes ‘flow of oil to Asian refineries has slowed’

An oil tanker docked at Geelong. Six ships from Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea have been cancelled or deferred. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Six oil ships bound for Australia have been cancelled but the federal government is not yet considering any drastic measures, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, says.

Bowen said on Sunday that six ships from Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, that had been expected to arrive next month, were cancelled or deferred. The federal government was working to replace the ships, with some already substituted, the minister told ABC TV.