PANews reported on June 13th, citing CNN, that as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global energy supplies, the international crude oil market faces an increasingly concerning risk signal – Cushing, Oklahoma, the U.S. crude oil delivery hub, is facing a critical shortage of inventory and is nearing its operational limits. Cushing, located in Oklahoma, is the delivery point for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures and one of the most important crude oil distribution centers in the United States. Under normal circumstances, Cushing's storage capacity is approximately 40 million barrels, with a maximum storage capacity of 75 million barrels. However, the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that local inventories have fallen to 21.6 million barrels, only slightly above the industry's generally accepted operational warning line of approximately 20 million barrels.