Following an attack on one of their vessels on Friday 15th December, Maersk (one of the world’s biggest shipping companies) are rerouting all vessels that were due to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to the Suez Canal. Over the weekend, several other carriers made the decision to follow suit and reroute their vessels.
Shipments travelling from the Far East to the UK will instead journey around the south of Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. This is expected to cause an estimated 15-day delay on cargo arrivals into the UK as well as expected on-going disruption to export services from the UK.
In addition to increased transit times, we anticipate that there will be the possibility of increased shipping costs. These diversions are likely to pose further challenges which could see rates rise on both imports and exports. War Risk surcharges or Equipment Imbalance fees could be introduced if the carriers struggle to maintain their equipment pools due to the change of route.
As always, our team works their hardest to minimise any impact on your business and we’ll keep you updated on this situation as we hear further developments.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please get in touch with Chris McNeil, Ocean Import Manager, who will be happy to advise:
T: 01473 858898
cmcneil@hemisphere-freight.com
