Maersk Hopes Int’l Interventions, Naval Presence Will Allow Red Sea Transit to Return

FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo
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Maersk Hopes Int’l Interventions, Naval Presence Will Allow Red Sea Transit to Return

FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo

Maersk hopes international interventions and a larger naval presence in the Red Sea will eventually lead to maritime commerce to resume through the strait, it said on Friday, following US-British strikes overnight against Houthi military targets in Yemen.

"We hope that these interventions and a larger naval presence will eventually lead to a lowered threat environment allowing maritime commerce to transit through the Red Sea and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway," Maersk said in an emailed statement.

Shipping companies have redirected vessels away from the Red Sea around Africa's Cape of Good Hope after Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen stepped up attacks on vessels to show their support for Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza.



US Excludes Smartphones, Computers from Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs

Apple iPhone 16 are on display during the launch September 20, 2024, at the Apple Store in New York. (AFP)
Apple iPhone 16 are on display during the launch September 20, 2024, at the Apple Store in New York. (AFP)
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US Excludes Smartphones, Computers from Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs

Apple iPhone 16 are on display during the launch September 20, 2024, at the Apple Store in New York. (AFP)
Apple iPhone 16 are on display during the launch September 20, 2024, at the Apple Store in New York. (AFP)

The Trump administration has granted tariff exclusions for smartphones, computers and other electronics imports supplied largely by China, sparing them from much of President Donald Trump's steep 125% duties.

In a notice to shippers, the US Customs and Border Protection agency published a list of tariff codes that will be excluded from the duties. The exclusions are retroactively to 12:01 a.m. on April 5.

The US CBP listed 20 product categories, including the very broad 8471 code for all computers, laptops and disc drives and automatic data processing. It also included semiconductor devices, equipment, memory chips and flat panel displays.

The notice did not provide an explanation for the Trump administration's move, but the late-night exclusion provides welcome relief to major US technology firms, including Apple Dell Technologies and countless other importers.

The move represents another step back from Trump's maximalist tariff approach, including several escalations of his duties on Chinese goods.