Wood pulp industry warns that supply may be interrupted and the risk of toilet paper chaos has risen again.
[World View News] The stranded Evergreen cargo ship caused Suez Canal to be blocked, causing global shipping chaos and exacerbating a new round of risks. The toilet paper chaos may be staged. Wood pulp manufacturers, the world's largest pulp manufacturer, are warning that global freighters may cause interruptions in supply of wood pulp, which is the raw material for producing toilet paper.
Brazil-based wood pulp manufacturer Suzano mainly transports wood pulp on bulk cargo ships. The company's CEO Walter Schalka said that as demand for container ships surged, tight situations have begun to spill over to affect bulk ship and could lead to delays in shipments of Suzano.
Shulkar is worried that shipping problems may become bigger and bigger like snowballs, and will only become more and more serious. If the wood pulp trade is severely interrupted and toilet paper manufacturers do not have sufficient wood pulp stocks, it may ultimately affect the toilet paper supply.
Walter Schalka said the company was worried that exports in March might be lower than originally expected and that some shipments had been delayed until April. As the competition for container ships increases, bulk ships are anchored at the company's docks less than before. "All South American operators who export through bulk ships face such risks," he said. "
Brazil is the world's largest supplier of wood pulp, and Suzano accounts for about one-third of the global hardwood pulp supply. Hardwood pulp is the type of pulp used to produce toilet paper.
Evergreen cargo ship stranded the Suez Canal, causing about 185 ships from north to south to trap ships, carrying cargo including living animals, oil and and grain. Among them, 40 ships carry commodities such as grain, cement and other dry goods, and 17 are oil tankers.
Many countries rely on accelerated transportation of daily necessities through the Suez Canal, including propane for heating and crops that feed humans and animals.
(Editor: Zhang Yijia)
