The World's Largest Container Carrier Has Stopped Shipping Cargo To Gulf Countries
- 4.03.2026, 20:59
The decision was made on March 2.
Danish transportation and logistics group Maersk, which deals with sea cargo transportation, has put on pause the acceptance of orders for the Persian Gulf countries amid the war in Iran. The company said the decision was made on March 2 following a risk assessment. "Acceptance of refrigerated, hazardous and special cargoes to and from the UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia is suspended until further notice," it said.
In addition, Maersk has suspended new bookings for shipments between the Gulf countries and India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. The only exception is for the ports of Dammam and Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia. Previously confirmed bookings will be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to current restrictions, and cargo in transit will remain under the control of operational services, reports The Moscow Times.
February 28, Maersk said it would indefinitely halt voyages through the Strait of Hormuz, which provides about 20 percent of the world's oil supply. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to attack any ship that tried to cross the transportation artery. Iranian troops then began hitting oil tankers found in the strait, flying the flags of the Marshall Islands, Gibraltar, Honduras and the United States. The IRGC reported the destruction of 10 vessels.
Maersk is the world's largest container shipping operator headquartered in Copenhagen. The company has a fleet of several hundred ships and its services cover all key maritime trade routes.
February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched a military operation against Iran after the failure of negotiations on the nuclear deal. In the first few days, the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other members of the leadership - 49 people in all, according to US President Donald Trump - were killed.
In turn, Iran attacked US military bases in the Middle East and the infrastructure of Washington's allies in the Persian Gulf. In addition to Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar were hit. The latter retaliated by striking Iran, noting that the republic had "crossed all red lines" as it targeted civilian targets, including Doha airport and gas infrastructure. The UAE has also begun considering a retaliatory attack on Iran, Axios reported.