Maersk halts Gulf bookings

Maersk has stopped taking many ocean bookings to and from Gulf ports as the Strait of Hormuz crisis keeps normal sailings in doubt. (maersk.com) In its April 14 update, Maersk said it had suspended bookings to and from Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Al Jubail, plus bookings to the United Arab Emirates except Khor Fakkan. It said bookings were still being accepted for Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and King Abdullah ports, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Oman’s Salalah and Sohar, and Khor Fakkan for imports only. (maersk.com) The company is steering cargo onto land routes instead of direct sea calls. Its April 14 advisory listed truck-and-port combinations via Jeddah, Aqaba, Sohar, Salalah, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah to move freight into or out of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iraq. (maersk.com) Maersk has also layered on crisis pricing. On March 3 it announced an emergency freight increase of $1,800 for a 20-foot dry container, $3,000 for a 40- or 45-foot dry container, and $3,800 for reefer, special, out-of-gauge and dangerous-goods equipment on cargo moving to or from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Jubail, and Oman’s Sohar. (maersk.com) Fuel costs are moving too. Maersk’s temporary Emergency Bunker Surcharge took effect globally from March 25, with rates of $200 per 20-foot dry box and $400 per 40-foot dry box on headhaul long-haul trades, and it took effect for Federal Maritime Commission-regulated bookings on April 9. (maersk.com) For air cargo, Maersk said on March 13 that fuel surcharges would be reviewed weekly and that a separate Transit Disruption Surcharge would be added on affected operations as Middle East turmoil tightened capacity and rerouted flights. (maersk.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Gulf that carriers use to reach ports such as Jebel Ali, Dammam and Kuwait. The International Energy Agency says about 20 million barrels a day of oil, or roughly 25 percent of world seaborne oil trade, and nearly one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas exports move through it. (iea.org) That chokepoint has been under strain for weeks. Maersk said on April 14 that a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran could allow some commercial transit to resume, but that “full maritime certainty is not yet assured” and any decision to send ships through the strait would depend on continuing risk assessments. (maersk.com) The company has been revising terms in near real time. A reefer surcharge update published April 2 raised some Oman export charges to $5,200 for a 20-foot refrigerated container and $5,300 for a 40-foot refrigerated container on certain Latin America trades, while intra-regional reefer moves into Oman and Khor Fakkan also rose. (maersk.com) For importers and exporters, the practical change is that a booking to the Gulf may now mean a mix of sea, truck and alternate-port handling, with different surcharges depending on cargo type and contract scope. Maersk said the situation remained “highly volatile” on April 14 and warned customers that conditions could change again at short notice. (maersk.com)