In Finland, the situation with Suez may currently affect individual Ikea products, is told. If prolonged, the situation may be reflected in the prices of all products transported in the Red Sea.
The furniture company Ikea warns that the situation in the Suez Canal can slow down the delivery of Ikea products on the Red Sea trade route and cause availability problems. About that says the BBC.
The reason is the Houthi rebels operating on the eastern coast of the Red Sea in Yemen and supported by Iran, who have attacked ships since the start of the Gaza war last October.
According to an Ikea representative, the company is currently exploring options to ensure that it can deliver its products to customers.
Ikea Finland’s PR manager Marjukka Hilden clarifies to that the impact of the Suez situation on Finland is currently limited and may mainly concern individual products.
Vessels containing containers from the Finnish trade chain Tokmanni are also currently waiting to enter the Suez Canal, says Kauppalehti. Some of the ships have switched to alternative routes, says Tokmanni’s procurement manager interviewed by the magazine Juha Valtonen.
At the moment, according to Valtonen, it does not seem that the situation has an effect on the supply of Tokmanni’s stores or the pricing of products.
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s busiest maritime traffic lanes, through which 12 percent of international shipping passes.
Among the shipping companies, at least the Danish Maersk and the German Hapag-Loyd have announced that they will introduce a detour via Hyväntoivonniemi due to the situation in the Suez Canal.
Several companies that transport their products via the Red Sea have also announced that they will switch to detour routes or consider alternative routes.
Rounding through Hyväntoivonnemi delays ships by at least ten days. If the situation continues, the use of the detour route will increase the costs of cargo ships, which may be reflected in the consumer prices of the transported products.
Head of corporate communications for the shipping company Hapag-Loyd Nils Haupt however, told the BBC’s Today program in an interview that transport costs cover only a relatively small part of the prices of most products. A significant increase in prices should therefore not be expected, Haupt said.
Completed with Marjukka Hilden’s comments and edited on December 22, 2023 at 1:56 p.m.