On March 1st, the world's top five container shipping companies in terms of capacity, namely Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping, and Hapag-Lloyd, have all issued official statements.
All vessels currently operating in the Gulf region (the Persian Gulf) or heading for the area are instructed to immediately proceed to a safe anchorage area and remain at anchor, or suspend passage through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
MSC emphasizes that crew safety is the top priority. As a precautionary measure, all vessels operating in and heading to the Gulf region have been instructed to proceed to designated safe anchorage areas.
Meanwhile, MSC has implemented the most stringent measures in the industry at present: suspending all cargo bookings for destinations in the Middle East worldwide until further notice.
Maersk
Maersk has announced that it will suspend future trans-Suez Canal voyages via the Strait of Mannar. Its core routes ME11 (Middle East - India to Mediterranean) and MECL (Middle East - India to the US East Coast) will all take a detour around the Cape of Good Hope.
Furthermore, Maersk has suspended all ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The berthing at ports in the Arabian Gulf will experience severe delays or have to take alternative routes.
CMA CGM (Container Line)
CMA CGM reaffirmed that crew safety is the top priority. Currently, two immediate measures have been taken: First, all ships in the Gulf and those heading to the Gulf should immediately head for safe harbors; second, the passage through the Suez Canal has been suspended, and ships have been redirected to pass through the Cape of Good Hope.
At the same time, CMA CGM has officially implemented the Emergency Conflict Surcharge (ECS) since March 2nd. Different surcharges are levied on goods based on their container types in the affected areas.
China COSCO Shipping
As the leading shipping company in China, COSCO SHIPPING is closely monitoring the situation and providing relevant alerts.
After completing their operations under safe conditions, vessels that have entered the bay should either anchor or remain at anchor in a safe area. Vessels in transit should reduce their speed or head for the designated sheltered anchorage to wait. The cargo handling company is evaluating alternative discharge port options and will proceed with the subsequent handling based on the terms of the bill of lading.
Hapag-Lloyd
Herbrorath stated that due to the official closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the relevant authorities, the company has suspended all vessel traffic through this waterway. At the same time, in response to the risks in the Strait of Mandeb, its IMX route will detour around the Cape of Good Hope. Customers are encouraged to contact local representatives for specific freight guidance.
Herberroth will also impose a war risk surcharge (WRS) on the relevant goods.
Details of the emergency conflict surcharge: $2,000 per 20-foot dry cargo container | $3,000 per 40-foot dry cargo container | $4,000 for each refrigerated container or special equipment
Scope of application: From or to Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt/Ain Shams Port, Djibouti, Sudan, Eritrea
Goods: All types
Effective date: March 2, 2026
Apart from the top five shipping lines, major shipping companies such as Ocean Network Associates (ONE), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and Yang Ming Shipping have also taken similar hedging measures through the internal mechanisms of shipping alliances (such as THE Alliance). Although some medium-sized shipping companies have not yet issued global statements separately, their actual operations have shifted to avoiding the Cape of Good Hope. Additionally, regional shipping companies in the Middle East such as Qatar Shipping and United Arab Emirates Shipping have also reduced the number of services on relevant routes.