Alkagesta has warned that disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues to constrain fertiliser supply chains despite a brief improvement in traffic. In a company press release dated 24 June, the trader said renewed restrictions had undermined the recovery following a US-Iran agreement on 14 June, leaving buyers exposed to uncertain delivery schedules and volatile production costs.
According to the release, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the waterway closed on 21 June in response to Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Alkagesta cited ship-tracking data showing vessel movements falling from 35 on Saturday to 12 on Sunday. It separately reported that tanker transits had reached 25 on 19 June, compared with a pre-war level exceeding 100 daily. The company argued that reopening the route would not, by itself, immediately restore normal supply flows.
Alkagesta estimated that approximately one-third of internationally traded fertilisers pass through Hormuz. It said urea prices exceeded $800 per tonne free on board Egypt at the height of the disruption, while force majeure provisions were invoked in supply contracts. Producers in South Asia also curtailed output as supplies of Qatari gas tightened, according to the release, illustrating the disruption’s effects on both transport and production.
The release described wider policy concerns surrounding fertiliser availability. It cited FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu’s warning at the organisation’s 181st Council session that restrictions at Hormuz posed a global food-security risk. Alkagesta also reported that G7 agriculture ministers had held an extraordinary meeting focused on diversifying supply and improving market transparency.
Alongside its market commentary, Alkagesta outlined its own trading activities across nitrogen, phosphate and speciality fertilisers. The company said its desk focuses on supply relationships across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and emerging agricultural markets, while coordinating product specifications, storage, ports, inland transport and regulatory requirements. It stressed that delayed deliveries could cause buyers to miss planting windows. These descriptions of operational capabilities are company statements, rather than an independent assessment of its performance.