• Skip to main content

    CRU

    August 7, 2026

    CRU: El Niño may threaten strategic steel supply chain waterways

    Written by Erik Hedborg & Josh Spoores & Richard Lu

    This item was first published by CRU. To learn about CRU’s global commodities research and analysis services, visit www.crugroup.com.

    This insight is the third installment on how El Niño may impact the steel and steelmaking raw materials markets. The two prior insights, which covered how a Super El Niño could impact the world economy and how El Niño is set to disrupt the steel supply chain, can be found at the link here. In this insight, we cover eight strategic global marine transport corridors and how they may be impacted by an El Niño weather pattern.

    Erik Hedborg

    Read more from Erik Hedborg

    Josh Spoores

    Josh Spoores joined CRU in 2012 as Principal Analyst and editor of CRU’s Steel Sheet Monitor and Steel Sheet Market Outlook. During that time, Mr. Spoores forecast prices, demand, production and trade of sheet and plate products for both Canada and the US for CRU's Steel Sheet & Plate Market Outlooks. Today, he heads up steel analysis and forecasting for the Americas region. Prior to joining CRU, he was a Senior Marketing Analyst at Severstal North America, founder of Steel Reality, a forward-looking market analysis firm using a models-based approach for flat rolled and plate steel. He was also the Market Research Manager at Majestic Steel USA, one of the largest flat rolled service centres in the USA. He has a BSc in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University.

    Read more from Josh Spoores

    Richard Lu

    Read more from Richard Lu

    Latest in CRU

    CRU: Global finished steel prices diverge, US the rare bright spot

    CRU: Global finished steel prices have diverged in August, with longs softening while sheet and plate firmed in most regions. Weak construction demand persisted across most longs markets, with the US the notable exception. Higher sheet prices were driven by tightening supply in the US and reduced import attractiveness in Europe, even as APAC sheet prices declined. Plate prices were mostly firmer across APAC, stable to down in Europe, and continued climbing in the US.