Shipping giant Maersk suspends bookings in Gulf ‘until further notice’

COPENHAGEN: Danish shipping giant Maersk said Wednesday that it was suspending bookings in the Gulf “until further notice”, following a risk assessment as the Middle East conflict spreads across the region.

“We are temporarily suspending cargo booking acceptance in and out of UAE, Oman (all ports apart from Salalah), Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Jubail only) until further notice. This is with immediate notice,” Maersk said in a statement.

It added that “exceptions will be made for critical foodstuff, medicine and other essential goods.”

The company also added that the measure does not apply to Jordan and Lebanon. Two of its vessels are currently in the Gulf.

Also read: Maersk suspends vessel transit through Strait of Hormuz

Maersk had said Sunday that it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the narrow Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

It followed several shipping groups who had made similar announcements after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards first declared the strait closed on Saturday.

On Wednesday they said they had “complete control” over the vital waterway, through which around 20 percent of global seaborne oil passes, and warned that any vessels seeking to pass risked damage from missiles or stray drones.

With energy prices already spiking, US President Donald Trump had said the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial shipping route.