Strait disruptions hit freight

Maersk has tightened freight terms across the Gulf after deciding vessels should avoid the Strait of Hormuz for now and suspending many bookings. (maersk.com) In its April 22 advisory, the carrier said reefer bookings were suspended to and from Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Al Jubail, and most United Arab Emirates destinations, with limited exceptions including Jeddah, King Abdullah Port, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Oman’s Salalah and Sohar, and Khor Fakkan for imports. (maersk.com) Maersk also said it was temporarily pausing several landside bookings tied to Jeddah, Oman and Khor Fakkan corridors while expanding land-bridge and multimodal options across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iraq. (maersk.com) The company’s detention update turned container time into a new cost item. For boxes discharged in Salalah between February 28 and March 25 that had not left the terminal before March 25, Maersk said total free time would be extended to 15 days. (maersk.com) For containers discharged on or after March 26, customers can buy extra time instead: 12 days in Salalah for $360 per container, or 8 days in Jeddah for $100 on local moves and $240 on cross-border moves. Maersk said those packages must be arranged offline through customer-service teams. (maersk.com) The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman that handles about 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and petroleum products, roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (eia.gov) The latest shipping disruption followed a brief reopening. Kuehne+Nagel said Iranian authorities announced on April 17 that the strait was open again, but gunfire in the area shut it back down in less than 24 hours and only very limited vessel traffic has followed. (mykn.kuehne-nagel.com) Associated Press reported on April 22 that Iran fired on three ships and seized two of them, while The New York Times reported the same day that traffic through the strait had nearly stopped after renewed attacks on shipping. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com) For exporters and importers, that means freight is no longer just a published rate plus transit time. Booking acceptance, emergency charges, routing, detention and free-time terms are now moving parts that have to be negotiated shipment by shipment. (maersk.com 1) (maersk.com 2) Maersk said any return to Hormuz transits will depend on continuous risk assessments and guidance from authorities and security partners. Until that changes, Gulf freight plans are being written around avoidance, delay and added cost. (maersk.com)