Date: March 9, 2026
Company: Sumitomo Chemical Asia
Summary
Sumitomo Chemical Asia declared force majeure on deliveries on March 9, 2026. This followed the disruption of naphtha feedstock supply from the Middle East — virtually all of which transits the Strait of Hormuz. This was the fifth Asian chemical company to declare force majeure within a single week, alongside Chandra Asri (Indonesia), Yeochun NCC (South Korea), Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (1.1 million tons of ethylene capacity on Jurong Island), and Aster (cracker operating at half capacity).
Naphtha Supply Chain Context
Asian steam crackers source most of their naphtha from the Middle East, and virtually all of it transits the Strait of Hormuz. When the Strait closed, all five companies lost their feedstock within days. The chain reaction cascaded through polymer prices (up double digits) and everything downstream became more expensive.
Source
@zerohedge — March 9, 2026
@AliR_Ahmadi — March 9, 2026
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Bibliography
Compiled from oil-shock-monitor-kb daily briefs and industry sources.