CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd halt Cuba bookings

Hapag-Lloyd has suspended acceptance of new bookings to and from Cuba, according to a May 17 customer notice on its website. The German carrier said it was “currently assessing the situation” to determine whether, and under what conditions, services to and from Cuba may continue. Customers with existing bookings or shipments involving Cuba were told to review shipment planning and contact local Hapag-Lloyd representatives. CMA CGM has not published a matching Cuba booking-stop notice in the material surfaced from its public news pages, but the French carrier’s Cuba schedule and local-office pages remained active as of May 19. CMA CGM’s public schedule pages showed sailings tied to Mariel and Santiago de Cuba, including an Indigo service call at Mariel dated later in May. (hapag-lloyd.com) ### Why did Hapag-Lloyd stop taking new Cuba bookings? Hapag-Lloyd said on May 17 that the suspension was temporary and tied to an ongoing assessment of whether Cuba services can continue and “under which conditions.” The company did not give a restart date in the notice. February and January notices from Hapag-Lloyd provide more context on the strain around Cuba cargo. (cma-cgm.com) On Feb. 23, the carrier imposed a new SUD, or Empty Return Compensation, surcharge for all import shipments discharged in Cuba, citing “ongoing operational disruptions and rising operating costs.” In a Jan. 13 update, it said imports into Mariel had been hit by congestion and operational disruptions, and it also said shipments to and from the United States, Canada and Mexico could not be accommodated “for legal reason.” (hapag-lloyd.com) ### What do the earlier Cuba notices show about the market? Hapag-Lloyd’s January update showed the carrier had tried to stabilize the trade before the latest suspension. The company said on Jan. 20 that its Cuba Shuttle Service had been enhanced to two vessels instead of one, with weekly rotation between Mariel, Cartagena and Manzanillo. The same sequence shows conditions worsening over several months. (hapag-lloyd.com) December brought an import restriction into Mariel, January brought a service enhancement but also legal limits on North America-linked cargo, February brought a Cuba surcharge, and May brought a full stop on new bookings to and from the island. ### What is confirmed about CMA CGM? CMA CGM’s public website still showed Cuba-related commercial infrastructure on May 19, including a Cuba office listing and schedule pages for Mariel and Santiago de Cuba. (hapag-lloyd.com) A Mariel schedule result showed a vessel call under the Indigo service with late-May berth and departure dates, while Santiago de Cuba pages also showed recent schedule entries. That does not by itself confirm whether CMA CGM is accepting new Cuba bookings. The public news pages surfaced in search did not show a Cuba booking-suspension advisory comparable to Hapag-Lloyd’s notice, so the status of new CMA CGM bookings could not be independently verified from publicly indexed company notices reviewed here. ### What does this mean for shippers already moving cargo? Hapag-Lloyd told customers with existing Cuba bookings or shipments to review shipment planning and contact their local representatives. (cma-cgm.com) The carrier said it would provide further updates as more information becomes available. For now, the next formal milestone is any follow-up customer advisory from Hapag-Lloyd on the Cuba suspension, while CMA CGM’s next public signal would likely appear through its news pages, local offices or schedule updates for Mariel and Santiago de Cuba. (cma-cgm.com) (hapag-lloyd.com)