Lars Jensen, a leading container shipping analyst and Lloyd’s List Top 100 most influential figure in shipping (2024), reported that MSC has suspended all bookings for worldwide cargo to the Middle East “until further notice,” while CMA CGM has instructed all vessels inside or bound for the Gulf “to proceed to shelter.”
“CMA CGM advises that all vessels inside Gulf, and bound to Gulf, have been instructed with immediate effect to proceed to shelter. Passage through the Suez Canal has been suspended until further notice, and vessels will be rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope. This is a major change as they have been transiting the Red Sea on several services for more than a year.”
CMA CGM has also introduced an Emergency Conflict Surcharge of USD 2,000 per 20-foot container, USD 3,000 per 40-foot container and USD 4,000 for reefers, applying not only to Gulf cargo but also Red Sea ports across Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Sudan and Eritrea.
“This is not just cargo to/from the Gulf but also includes all Red Sea ports in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Sudan and Eritrea. Maersk advises that all sailings on MECL and ME11 will now be redirected by to round-Africa instead of the Suez routing they had just switched to.”
The maritime security situation has deteriorated rapidly. Debris from an intercepted drone struck the port of Jebel Ali, causing a fire. In the Strait of Hormuz, the oil tanker “Skylight” was hit by a drone or missile and caught fire, although reports indicate the blaze has since been brought under control. The vessel is described as a sanctioned ship within the so-called shadow fleet.
These incidents underscore the seriousness behind Iran’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. As Jensen notes, “closed” in this context does not mean completely impassable rather, it implies that transits carry a significant risk of attack.
Two Iranian-flagged container vessels, the 14,500 TEU “Radin” and the 2,500 TEU “Artnos,” have recently departed Bandar Abbas and crossed the Strait of Hormuz. The 3,500 TEU “SLS Topaz” has also completed a transit. Jensen notes that the operator of “SLS Topaz” is not fully confirmed, though it appears in sailing schedules for both Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, with Hapag-Lloyd’s site listing it as operated by Maersk.
With most major container lines suspending direct Gulf calls, cargo flows are expected to be restructured through alternative ports. Jensen suggests that large vessels carrying Gulf-bound cargo will likely discharge containers at hubs such as Salalah, Khor Fakkan, Sohar, Duqm and Colombo. From there, smaller vessels willing to accept the risk may undertake onward transits — mirroring the pattern seen over the past two years in the Red Sea risk area.
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Author: Anastasiya Simsek
