The maritime shipping companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd reacted cautiously to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, announced last Tuesday (October 7) by United States President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Iranian government.
Maersk claimed there were still insufficient guarantees for the resumption of normal operations, while Hapag-Lloyd projected a gradual recovery, subject to the evolution of security in the region.
Maersk reported that the ceasefire could open some opportunities for ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz, but still does not offer sufficient certainty regarding security to resume normal operations. "For now, we are taking a cautious approach and will not make any changes to specific services," the shipping company explained in a statement.
According to the note, the ceasefire may create transit opportunities, but still does not offer complete maritime security, and the company needs to understand all possible conditions associated with it. According to the company, any decision to transit through the Strait of Hormuz will be based on continuous risk assessments, rigorous monitoring of the security situation, and available guidance from competent authorities and partners.
The maritime shipping company used a "landbridge" system through ports such as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Salalah and Sohar in Oman, and Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, to channel cargo and then transport it overland to destinations in the Gulf region.
"We will continue to closely monitor developments and provide updates as more information becomes available in the coming hours and days," concluded Maersk's statement, which suspended cargo bookings for several Gulf ports last month and introduced emergency fuel surcharges worldwide to offset increased costs.
Hapag-Lloyd, for its part, expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of resuming navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following the ceasefire, although it warned that the normalization of traffic across its entire network would take at least six to eight weeks.
During an online meeting with customers, the shipping company's CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen, reiterated cautious comments, noting that further security guarantees are still necessary. "Although a ceasefire was agreed overnight, it is fair to say that the conflict in the Middle East continues to seriously affect maritime shipping and supply chains," he stated, adding that the situation is "very unstable".
He also mentioned the possibility of accepting customer bookings, provided the ceasefire holds over the coming days. "We will probably open bookings for the Upper Gulf region, initially for selected markets, but we expect this to happen relatively soon," Jansen said.
The executive estimated that additional costs resulting from the Middle East crisis amount to between 50 million and 60 million U.S. dollars per week and warned that the maritime shipping company will have to pass part of these costs on to its customers, beyond the 40 million to 50 million U.S. dollars estimated previously.
Jansen reported that almost one thousand ships remain stranded in the region, six of which belong to his company, with a combined capacity of approximately 25 thousand standard containers.
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