Maersk suspends Suez, Bab el-Mandeb Strait sailings

Shipping giant Maersk, the world’s largest container carrier, has announced the suspension of all sailings through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait until further notice, reflecting escalating security risks across key Middle Eastern maritime routes. The company said it has decided to reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and instead send them around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, a longer and more expensive journey that, according to its assessment, offers a higher level of safety amid ongoing military tensions. The diversion is expected to add days, and potentially weeks, to transit times between Asia and Europe, increasing fuel and insurance costs while disrupting delivery schedules.

In a related move, MSC said on Sunday that it had instructed ships operating in the Gulf region to immediately head to designated safe areas as a precautionary measure to protect crews and vessels. The company also announced the suspension of all global cargo bookings destined for the Middle East until further notice. MSC said the decision was driven by deteriorating security conditions around the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent shipping lanes, adding that it is closely monitoring developments in coordination with international maritime authorities and will update customers on any service resumptions or route adjustments.

The measures come amid intensifying military confrontations in the region, raising widespread concern within the global shipping industry about navigation safety along one of the world’s most critical trade arteries. The Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal rank among the busiest maritime corridors globally, carrying a significant share of containerized trade and energy shipments between East and West.

As companies are forced to reroute vessels around Africa, shipping costs are expected to rise, with potential knock-on effects on commodity prices and global supply chains, particularly in European and Asian markets that rely heavily on the route if the disruptions persist, they could lead to logistical bottlenecks, delayed cargo deliveries, and inflationary pressures across several industrial and commercial sectors worldwide.