Basil Lenzo has cut back his forays to collect lobster off the West Australian coast to every other day as his fuel costs doubled in the past few weeks and are still climbing. It’s inevitable, he says, that he’ll have to start charging customers more for his catch if things don’t settle down soon.
“What was an inconvenience three weeks ago is really escalating now,” said Lenzo, who says the cost of filling his Fremantle-ported boat’s diesel tank has jumped from $700 to $1400 since the Middle East conflict started.