| The issue, it seems to me, isn’t really toilet paper in the U.S., whose toilet paper factories surely get wood pulp produced domestically or shipped directly north rather than via the Suez Canal. The issue is all the other stuff shipped via the canal in both directions. It looks like the recent significant widening of the canal was still not wide enough. |
[Newsmax] The world could be headed for another toilet paper shortage.And the New York Post noted it could rival the shortage seen in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is all the result of the massive ship blocking the Suez Canal. The Ever Given ran aground this week and has remained stuck.
Authorities are racing to free the massive vessel, and reopen traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping.
The Post noted the owner of the vessel has apologized for the canal blockage, which is sparking a global trade crisis because of the flotilla of cargo ships stuck behind it.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Walter Schalka, CEO of the Brazilian wood pulp company Suzano SA, said his company already was struggling to transport the raw material for toilet paper amid the delays caused by existing shipping container shortages.
The Express newspaper reported that wood pulp is a critical ingredient in the production of toilet paper. The Daily Mail said Suzano produces about a third of the world’s hardwood pulp.
Experts warned it could take weeks before the passage is cleared — causing many ships to take a much longer trip around the southern tip of Africa.
The Daily Mail reported that if the wood pulp trade faces prolonged disruptions, it could ultimately lead to new shortages of toilet paper.
The Ever Given ran aground Tuesday in Suez, the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula, The Associated Press reported.
The vessel's bow was touching the eastern wall, while its stern appeared lodged against the western wall. Experts said they had never heard of it happening before in the canal's 150-year history.
The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship, is stuck about 3.7 miles north of the southernly mouth of the canal, near the city of Suez, an area of the canal that's a single lane.
As the coronavirus outbreak spread last year, millions of people panicked about toilet paper supply. People began to stockpile toilet paper and supermarket shelves were emptied.
According to The Associated Press, NCSolutions, a data and consulting firm, said online and in-store U.S. toilet paper sales rose last year 51% between Feb. 24 and March 10. Sales soared 845% on March 11 and 12 last year as states announced lockdowns.
But the amount of toilet paper the average American uses hasn't changed, the AP reported. It's still around 141 rolls per year, compared to 134 rolls in Germany and just 49 rolls in China.
Meanwhile, the Express reported authorities are using tugs and other equipment in an attempt to dislodge the Ever Given.
ING economist Joanna Konings told the Daily Mail: "With supply chains already under pressure, a large container ship has now literally blocked one of world trade's major routes.
"As the Suez Canal Authority works to free the canal, traffic is building up, and missing inputs will disrupt supply chains," Konings added.