Maersk is introducing temporary surcharges due to the situation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, excluding exports from Far East Asia.
In a statement on its website, the Danish company said the AP Moller – Maersk group (“Maersk”) is continuing to monitor developments around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and making carefully considered changes to services to ensure the safety of its seafarers, vessels and customers’ cargo.
“The situation continues to cause industry-wide disruptions, including delays and bottlenecking at ports. We are aware of the challenges this is creating for our customers,” the company said.
Maersk noted it is also experiencing industry-wide equipment and capacity shortages, as well as additional direct and indirect costs.
“To continue meeting our customers’ needs, some surcharges will increase temporarily,” it said.
Maersk added that in this ever-evolving environment, surcharges are being reviewed regularly.
Three of the top five container carriers — AP Moller-Maersk A/S, CMA CGM SA and Hapag-Lloyd AG —said they will not be looking to use the Northern Sea Route shipping lane, which follows Russia’s Arctic coast for more than 3,000 nautical miles, in line with a voluntary commitment they made in 2019.
Russia has promoted use of the shipping lane, including as a way of moving oil and natural gas to crucial markets in Asia, but ships still require clearance from Moscow to use the route.
The passage can have ice even in the warmest months and freezes over with a thick cover in the northern hemisphere winter — making it accessible only to specialized vessels and increasing the risk of accidents that could damage the pristine environment.
