Through May 2026, 13.2 million tons of methanol were traded globally, a decline of 1.9 million tons from May 2025 YTD.

Methanex recently indicated that 18-20 million tons of methanol capacity was constrained by closure of the Strait of Hormuz. (ICIS)

Asia-Pacific’s methanol imports are mainly from the Middle East, and more than half of that is estimated to be from Iran. (International Trade Publications: Methanol Exports from the Middle East – Impact of Supply Disruption).

The huge drop in imports from the Middle East was not offset by slightly higher imports from Eastern Europe and North America.

Imports into Western Europe from all regional sources were down through May 2026.

From International Trader Publications’ Methanol World Trade Analysis, a continuously updated analysis of methanol trade based on latest statistics from all reporting countries.