【Ferro-alloys.com】：The Iran war is triggering an unprecedented crisis in the global aluminium market with potentially devastating knock-on effects across sectors as diverse as construction, packaging, transport and green energy, says consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Even if the war were to end tomorrow, it could take up to a year for Emirates Global Aluminium to recover from the damage inflicted by a missile strike on its Al Taweelah smelter in March.

Aluminium Bahrain, the largest single-site production plant outside of China, has also been hit, although the extent of the damage is currently unknown. Alba had already reduced output prior to the attack, as had Qatar Aluminium, owing to a shortage of power.

With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz severely constrained, the loss of production could rise further as smelters run through their stocks of raw materials.

The global market is looking at a supply deficit of up to four-million metric tons this year, Wood Mackenzie estimates.

Western buyers will bear the brunt of that massive supply hit and policymakers will face some hard choices in the weeks ahead if they want to cushion the impact.

• [Editor:Alakay]