Partial view of the ammonia production facility at the SKW Piesteritz agro-chemical plant in Piesteritz near Wittenberg, northern Germany, on April 9, 2026. As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to roil the global economy, one German town has been scrambling to help make up the shortfall in essential supplies of fertilisers. Wittenberg, better known to many as a cradle of the Protestant Reformation, is also home to a chemical plant founded in 1915, in the midst of World War One. At SKW's sprawling 220-hectare site, a 23-kilometer rail transports urea, ammonia and finished fertilisers, destined for sites across Germany and also elsewhere in Europe. SKW is Germany's largest producer of urea, an essential component of fertilisers. The plant has been running at full capacity to try to make up the shortfall in supply from the Hormuz blockade. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)

Partial view of the ammonia production facility at the SKW Piesteritz agro-chemical plant in Piesteritz near Wittenberg, northern Germany, on April 9, 2026. As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to roil the global economy, one German town has been scrambling to help make up the shortfall in essential supplies of fertilisers. Wittenberg, better known to many as a cradle of the Protestant Reformation, is also home to a chemical plant founded in 1915, in the midst of World War One. At SKW's sprawling 220-hectare site, a 23-kilometer rail transports urea, ammonia and finished fertilisers, destined for sites across Germany and also elsewhere in Europe. SKW is Germany's largest producer of urea, an essential component of fertilisers. The plant has been running at full capacity to try to make up the shortfall in supply from the Hormuz blockade. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)

A photo taken on April 9, 2026 shows a view of the Urea production facility at the SKW Piesteritz agro-chemical plant in Piesteritz near Wittenberg, eastern Germany. As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to roil the global economy, one German town has been scrambling to help make up the shortfall in essential supplies of fertilisers. Wittenberg, better known to many as a cradle of the Protestant Reformation, is also home to a chemical plant founded in 1915, in the midst of World War One. At SKW's sprawling 220-hectare site, a 23-kilometer rail transports urea, ammonia and finished fertilisers, destined for sites across Germany and also elsewhere in Europe. SKW is Germany's largest producer of urea, an essential component of fertilisers. The plant has been running at full capacity to try to make up the shortfall in supply from the Hormuz blockade. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)

A forklift operator loads bulk bags containing unprocessed urea (unkonditionierter Harnstoff) onto a truck at the SKW Piesteritz agro-chemical plant in Piesteritz near Wittenberg, northern Germany, on April 9, 2026. As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to roil the global economy, one German town has been scrambling to help make up the shortfall in essential supplies of fertilisers. Wittenberg, better known to many as a cradle of the Protestant Reformation, is also home to a chemical plant founded in 1915, in the midst of World War One. At SKW's sprawling 220-hectare site, a 23-kilometer rail transports urea, ammonia and finished fertilisers, destined for sites across Germany and also elsewhere in Europe. SKW is Germany's largest producer of urea, an essential component of fertilisers. The plant has been running at full capacity to try to make up the shortfall in supply from the Hormuz blockade. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)

People protest outside the Ohio Statehouse on April 9, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio, on the state's shutdown of the economy, and to question the models used by Health Director Dr. Amy Acton to continue her shelter-at-home order during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins, File)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Spirit Airlines baggage area is empty after the company went out of business at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 02, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc. has begun a wind-down of Spirit Airlines operations after failing to secure funding from the Trump administration, and the airline has canceled flights. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Spirit Airlines check in counter is empty after the company went out of business at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 02, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc. has begun a wind-down of Spirit Airlines operations after failing to secure funding from the Trump administration, and the airline has canceled flights. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - MAY 01: An operational update screen is seen at the Spirit Airlines check-in kiosk after the company went out of business at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 02, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc. has begun a wind-down of Spirit Airlines operations after failing to secure funding from the Trump administration, and the airline has canceled flights. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)