Biggest Gathering of Bitumen Industry Experts Heads to Muscat for the Upcoming Rex Fuels Expo & Conference 2026
Muscat 2026
There is a reason the timing matters.
Across India and the Middle East, road construction is moving at a scale that is beginning to reshape the demand for bitumen, the movement of petroleum products and the relationships between producers and consuming markets. At the same time, disruptions across West Asia have exposed how quickly events in one part of the supply chain can affect a highway project thousands of kilometres away.
The road ahead is being built, quite literally. But the bigger question is: who will supply it, how will those supplies move, and what will the industry's supply chain look like five years from now?That is where Oman becomes particularly relevant.
India's roads are creating a demand story of their own
India's road programme has expanded dramatically over the past decade. The country's National Highway network has grown from 91,287 km in 2014 to 146,560 km, according to the Government of India. The length of four-lane-and-above National Highways has more than doubled over the same period to 43,512 km, while operational access-controlled expressways and high-speed corridors have reached 3,052 km.
The numbers translate into a very real requirement for paving materials.
India consumed approximately 8.74 million tonnes of bitumen in 2025, up from 8.43 million tonnes in 2024. The country's requirement is expected to remain substantial as highway construction and maintenance continue.
Yet India does not produce enough bitumen to meet its entire requirement domestically. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said in May 2026 that India requires around 12 million tonnes of bitumen annually, while domestic petroleum companies have capacity for approximately 5 million tonnes, leaving a substantial import requirement.
That gap has made the international bitumen trade strategically important. And 2026 has shown why supply chains matter. The issue is not simply demand. It is availability.
India's bitumen imports fell sharply during the first half of 2026 amid disruptions linked to the conflict in West Asia. According to Indian customs data reported by Argus, imports totaled approximately 905,000 tonnes between January and June 2026, down around 50% from the same period in 2025.
Second-quarter imports fell by roughly 68% year on year. That is more than a trade statistic.
When vessels are delayed, routes become uncertain or cargoes cannot move, the consequences can reach road contractors, project schedules and construction costs. Recent reporting has also highlighted India's dependence on West Asian suppliers, with more than 99% of India's bitumen imports sourced from Iraq, the UAE, Iran, Oman and Bahrain.
The connection between the Gulf and India's road-building programme has therefore become impossible to ignore.
And this is precisely why bringing the industry together in Oman, at this particular point in time, carries significance.
Oman sits in the middle of the conversation
Oman is not simply a venue for an international industry gathering. Its geography and developing infrastructure place it within the very trade corridors that are shaping the regional bitumen business.
World Bank trade data shows that Oman exported 27.36 million kg of petroleum bitumen in 2023, of which 24.57 million kg went to India. In other words, India accounted for almost 90% of Oman's petroleum bitumen exports that year.
That relationship has continued to make India an important destination for Omani bitumen.
At the same time, Oman itself is investing in the infrastructure needed to support its next stage of economic development. Under Oman Vision 2040, strategic road projects include the 135-km fourth stage of the Sultan Said bin Taimur Road and the approximately 71-km Sultan Faisal bin Turki Road, alongside capacity improvements to the Al Rusayl–Nizwa corridor and the Muscat Expressway.
Duqm offers perhaps the clearest picture of where the country's infrastructure ambitions are heading.
A new dual carriageway connecting Duqm Airport and Ras Markaz extends for more than 51 km, linking the airport with oil storage facilities and major industrial developments. Additional road projects in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm bring the combined length of two major road developments to approximately 67 km, connecting industrial, commercial, logistics and renewable-energy developments.
More recently, Oman awarded 74 government contracts worth RO734 million during the first seven months of 2026, with roads and transport among the sectors driving infrastructure spending. A RO157 million expansion of the Muscat Expressway was among the major contracts awarded during the period.
This is the Oman that participants will encounter when they arrive for the conference—not simply a meeting point, but a market where logistics, energy, infrastructure and industrial development are converging.
The conference becomes part of that bigger picture
This makes the 20th Edition of the Rex Fuels Global Expo & Conference particularly timely.
The value of meeting in person is different when an industry is dealing with uncertainty. This is not a market where the conversation can stop at the price of a tonne of bitumen. Producers need to understand where demand is moving.
Buyers need greater visibility into supply. Traders are watching freight and regional availability. Logistics companies are dealing with changing routes. Road contractors need continuity.
All of these questions meet at the same point.
The future of road construction is increasingly a supply-chain story.
A highway in India can depend on a cargo originating in the Gulf. A refinery's production decisions can influence the economics of a road project. A disruption in maritime traffic can change procurement decisions. A new industrial zone in Oman can create demand for roads, storage, logistics and energy products at the same time.
The conference provides an opportunity to put these separate pieces of the industry around the same table.
And Oman offers something more: a chance to see where the industry may be heading.
Sandip Mukherjee
Rex Fuels Management Pvt Ltd
+91 91673 64282
conferences@rexfuels.com
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Rex Fuels Global Expo & Conference 2026 Muscat
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