Iran attacks two oil tankers again, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd urgently suspends Middle East routes

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On the morning of March 7, local time, the Strait of Hormuz became turbulent again. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated,A commercial oil tanker named "PRIMA" ignored repeated warnings from the Revolutionary Guard Navy and forced its way into the Strait of Hormuz, where it was subsequently hit by a drone.Iran said the tanker ignored warnings and insisted on passing through, forcing the military to take action.

At almost the same time, Iran's Guangming News Agency reported that the Revolutionary GuardsAt noon that day, a suicide drone was launched at a commercial oil tanker "LOUIS-P" flying the flag of the Marshall Islands on the grounds that the oil tanker was regarded as a "U.S. asset."The oil tanker was attacked in the central waters of the Persian Gulf. This is another military action taken against ships passing through relevant waters after Iran hit a US oil tanker on March 5.

Just the day before the attack, Iranian military spokesman Abu Fazl Shekarchi stated:"We reaffirm the security of the Strait of Hormuz and confirm our control of it, but we will not close it." He also emphasized that ships related to Israel or the United States are not allowed to pass.

Two oil tankers were attacked one after another, exacerbating the shipping market's concerns about the safety of routes in the Middle East. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, the world's two largest liner giants, announced on the 6th that due to the threat to navigation safety posed by the escalation of regional conflicts, they decided to suspend services on a number of major routes in the Middle East and announced alternative plans.

Maersk stated that based on the latest risk assessment and operational review, considering that the escalation of conflicts in the Gulf region affects navigation safety,It was decided to suspend route services connecting the Middle East with Europe and the Far East, as well as shuttle routes to the Gulf region.Hapag-Lloyd announced on the same day,Suspended a number of route services in the Middle East, including shuttle services to the Gulf of Oman and routes connecting Asia and the Persian Gulf, India and the Middle East and the Mediterranean.At the same time, new services are launched to ensure operational stability.

Previously, CMA CGMIt has stated that it will adjust the routes of its ships, and some routes will be detoured to avoid the Suez Canal.Mediterranean Shipping Company stated thatIn the current transport environment, land transport can be used as an alternative to shipping containers to affected areas to ensure continuity of cargo transportation.Ocean Network Shipping alsoFollow up to adjust or suspend operations of relevant routes.

Shipping experts pointed out that the wide-ranging suspension of sailings will directly affect the flow of goods in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, which means that the risk of disruption to the Middle East trade channels is increasing. A number of container shipping companies have completely suspended shipping services in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas, which will not only directly affect the company's revenue, but will also be transmitted to the downstream manufacturing and consumer goods industries through rising freight rates and supply chain delays, increasing inflationary pressure.

Faced with the ongoing tense situation, Gemini Alliance members Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have launched new routes respectively - Maersk AE19 route and Hapag-Lloyd SE4 route. The new route will bypass the Cape of Good Hope and add a new port of call at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. According to the announced route plan, the port sequence of the new route is: Tianjin New Port - Qingdao - Busan - Ningbo - Shanghai - Tanjung Pelepas - Cape of Good Hope - Western Mediterranean Hub - Eastern Mediterranean Hub - Jeddah - Eastern Mediterranean Hub - Western Mediterranean Hub - Cape of Good Hope - Singapore - Tianjin New Port. The first ship is the "Maersk Elba", which is expected to set sail from Tianjin New Port on March 13.

Mediterranean Shipping Company also announced that in view of the current changes in the situation in the Middle East, it has launched a transportation solution for the inland areas of Iraq. MSC stated that its Tiger route and Phoenix route can provide customers with competitive transportation services from Asia to Turkey, and can develop customized logistics solutions according to customer needs: goods can be transferred through Iskenderun Port through the Phoenix route, or transshipped through Mersin Port through the Tiger route, and then enter the Iraqi inland market through land transportation. Relevant inland destinations mainly include cities such as Zako, Dohuk, Mosul, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Baghdad.

Industry insiders believe that amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions, liner companies have provided new transportation paths for regional cargo circulation by adjusting routes and transit plans. However, as the risk of military conflicts continues to exist, the security situation in the Middle East routes remains unclear, and shipping companies and cargo owners need to remain highly vigilant.