Japanese fish dealers are reporting a lack of available farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway, which they have attributed to the closure of Russian airspace due to that country's conflict with Ukraine.
Chilled salmon from Norway usually travels to Japan by air over Russia. However, on 1 March, Russia banned overflights by the airlines of 36 countries in response to sanctions they imposed after Russia initiated an invasion of Ukraine. These include 27 E.U. nations, the U.K., the U.S., and Canada, which had already closed their own airspace to planes owned by Russian entities.
Since then, cargo and passenger flights have primarily been rerouted through the Middle East, with Dubai becoming a popular stopover location. Many planes are then skirting Russia’s southern flank via Turkish and Georgian airspace to get to East Asia. However, to do this, the planes must forego some cargo capacity in order to carry the extra fuel needed for the longer journey.
“The additional flight time requires more fuel, hence less cargo and higher freight costs,” Norwegian Seafood Council Director for Japan and South Korea Johan Kvalheim said. “As an example, flying over the pole reduces cargo capacity by 50 percent and the reroutes can become four hours more than a regular direct flight.”
Adding to the difficulty facing cargo carriers and their clients, the cost of jet fuel increased 27.5 percent in the first week of March and has nearly doubled over the past year. Greater operational costs mean shippers must pay more, often through fuel surcharges. Heavy demand on the route from the cargo displaced from overflights also has also meant that space is in short supply.
According to customs data from Japan’s Ministry of Finance, the country’s imports of fresh Atlantic salmon from Norway in 2021 amounted to 13.3 million kilograms, valued at JPY 14.2 billion (USD 123 million, or EUR 113 million). Atlantic salmon represents close to 20 percent of the Japanese salmon market, and close to 90 percent of the fresh Atlantic salmon is Norwegian – meaning a disruption in supply from Norway could have a big impact on the market.
For now, salmon from Tasmania, Australia, is being used as a replacement for Norwegian salmon. Kvalheim said that the supply issues are most likely temporary.
“I believe that the issues we are facing this week are temporary, as the airlines are working on the rerouting of their flights either over the North Pole or south of Russia,” Kvalheim said. “We have been flying fresh salmon from Norway to Japan for the last 25 years and it’s clear that we have always found solutions to the challenges that have arrived, and so we will also do this time.”
Photo courtesy of Pierre-Yves Babelon/Shutterstock
