(Adds Sainsbury’s)
Attacks on ships in Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi militants have disrupted international trade on the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia.
These attacks, which target a route representing around 15% of global maritime traffic, have prompted several shipping companies to reroute their ships.
Below you will find the companies’ responses to the disruptions (in alphabetical order):
AB FOODS ABF.L
The main owner is monitoring the situation, but its supply chains are capable of some adjustment, a spokesperson said, adding that so far there was no cause for concern.
BP BP.L
On December 18, the oil major told the address that it had temporarily halted all transits through the Red Sea.
DANONE DANO.PA
The French food group said in December that most of its shipments had been diverted, lengthening delivery times. If the situation were to last longer than 2-3 months, Danone would implement mitigation plans, including using alternative routes by sea or road where possible, a spokesperson said.
DHL DHLn.DE
The German logistics company, which does not operate ships but uses them to transport containers, on January 8 advised its customers to take a close look at how they manage their inventory.
ELECTROLUX ELUXb.ST
The Swedish appliance maker has set up a task force to find alternative routes or identify priority deliveries to try to avoid disruption. He expects a limited impact on deliveries for now.
EQUINOR EQNR.OL
The Norwegian oil and gas company said on December 18 that it had redirected ships heading to the Red Sea.
ESSITY ESSITYa.ST
The maker of brands such as Libresse and TENA said it remained in contact with affected suppliers to ensure the continued flow of goods, but added that the impact on its business was limited due to the low number of supplies moving. via the Suez Canal.
EUROPRIS EPR.OL
The Norwegian retailer, which imports 35% to 40% of its goods from Asia via sea freight, said on January 5 that it had not considered other shipping options because it would increase costs. He added that the extended shipping times were within his safety margin and that he did not foresee any major difficulties.
GEELY 0175.HK
Geely, China’s second-largest automaker by sales, said on Dec. 22 that its electric vehicle sales would likely be affected by a delay in deliveries as most of the shipping companies it uses to export vehicles Electric ships to Europe sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
IKEA
On December 19, the Swedish distributor of ready-to-assemble furniture said the situation would lead to delays and could cause availability constraints for some products. “We are evaluating other supply options to ensure availability of our products,” he said.
KONE KNEBV.HE
The Finnish elevator manufacturer said the situation could in some cases delay deliveries by 2-3 weeks, but most deliveries to its customers are expected to remain on time. Kone said it prepared for these disruptions by researching alternative delivery methods and routes.
LIDL
Lidl subsidiary Tailwind Shipping Lines, which transports non-food goods for the discount supermarket chain and goods for third-party clients, said it was sailing around Africa for now.
MOSAIC MOS.N
The U.S. fertilizer company said Dec. 18 that it had rerouted some U.S.-bound shipments around Africa.
NEXT NXT.L
The British clothing retailer’s chief executive said Jan. 4 that sales growth would likely be moderate if disruptions continue into 2024. He said Next, which sources the majority of its products from Asia, could mitigate this problem by ordering early or using air freight.
SAINSBURY’S SBRY.L
Britain’s second-largest grocer said on January 10 that it was in regular contact with the British government over the Red Sea disruptions.
“We make sure we plan for the sequencing of products coming from Asia-Pacific so that we receive them in the right order,” said chief executive Simon Roberts, noting that long-term contracts with shippers “mitigate as much as possible impact on costs.
TSMC 2330.TW, TSM.N
The world’s largest contract chipmaker said Dec. 19 that it does not anticipate a significant impact on its business.
VOLKSWAGEN VOWG_p.DE
The German automaker said Dec. 20 that rerouting shipments would cause journeys to lengthen by about two weeks, but that it had not seen any problems so far.
VOLVO CAR VOLCARb.ST
The Swedish automaker said it was affected by the disruptions and was studying their potential impact, but did not see an impact on its ability to meet its global production and wholesale targets. .
WHIRLPOOL WHR.N
The appliance maker said in December that it was closely monitoring logistical issues in the region to help mitigate risks as they arise, adding that there was no impact on its activities to date.
YARA YAR.OL
The Norwegian fertilizer maker told Reuters it was only slightly affected so far, although the Red Sea is an important supply route for the company.