Community Events
April 30, 2026
Join SMU and AMU for a Community Chat with Mercury Resources CEO Anton Posner
Written by Michael Cowden
Anton Posner, CEO of Mercury Resources, will join Steel Market Update (SMU) and Aluminum Market Update (AMU) for a Community Chat on Thursday, May 14, at 11 am ET.
The live webinar is free. You can register here.
What we’ll talk about
In short, flaming chaos on the high seas – yet again.
The Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have sent oil and aluminum prices soaring higher. The impact on steel has been mostly indirect but hardly insignificant – especially when it comes to moving metal.
The US already had the highest steel prices in the world. Now freight and fuel surcharges are rising fast too. In addition, vessel cost and availability issues are driving up the landed price of imports of both raw materials and finished steel.
What are the chances of the conflict being resolved? What might the impact be if the US and Iran remain at an impasse? And how can US steel and aluminum consumers position themselves to ride out the disruption?
Remember last time?
When Posner last joined us, in 2024, the big topics were Houthi attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea, a drought delaying shipments through the Panama Canal, and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
What a difference a couple of years doesn’t make.
The Red Sea remains risky. The Panama Canal remains congested. Not because of weather but because of vessels sailing from the US to Asia – which is trying to fill the gap left by Middle East energy production. And the Key Bridge won’t be rebuilt until at least 2030 (assuming all goes to plan, which it isn’t).
Why you should listen
Posner is in a good position to address such questions because Mercury Resources specializes in global supply chain management for commodities. The company’s end-to-end solutions include everything from warehousing to ocean freight, as well as inland barge, rail, and trucking services.
As always, we’ll keep it to about 45 minutes. You can drop in, learn something – and then get on with your day.
Editor’s note: If you missed our last Community Chat – a good one Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contracts of America (AGC) – you can catch a replay here. His insights on data centers, in particular, are timely and relevant to both steel and aluminum.
