Maersk: Disruptions to Container Shipping via Red Sea Have Expanded

A container ship is seen in the Red Sea. EPA file photo
A container ship is seen in the Red Sea. EPA file photo
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Maersk: Disruptions to Container Shipping via Red Sea Have Expanded

A container ship is seen in the Red Sea. EPA file photo
A container ship is seen in the Red Sea. EPA file photo

Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Wednesday that the disruptions to its container shipping via the Red Sea had extended beyond trade routes in far Eastern Europe to its entire ocean network.

"The cascading impact of these disruptions extends beyond the primary affected routes, causing congestion at alternative routes and transshipment hubs essential for trade with Far East Asia, West Central Asia, and Europe," Reuters quoted Maersk as saying in a statement.

Maersk and other shipping companies have diverted vessels around Africa's Cape of Good Hope since December to avoid attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi militias in the Red Sea, with the longer voyage times pushing freight rates higher.

Asian exports are more impacted by the situation than Asian imports, Maersk said, adding that this is primarily due to Asian countries being major global exporters.

Maersk said ocean cargo demand remains robust globally, with air freight, including a sea-air solution being used as an alternative where time-sensitive goods need to be moved quickly.



Pope Francis, Trump Critic, Meets US VP Vance on Easter Morning

From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)
From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)
TT

Pope Francis, Trump Critic, Meets US VP Vance on Easter Morning

From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)
From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)

Pope Francis held a private meeting at the Vatican on Sunday morning with US Vice President JD Vance, the Vatican said in a statement.

Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with the pontiff over the Trump administration's immigration policies, met Francis at his Vatican residence to exchange Easter greetings, the statement said.

"Pope Francis had a brief private encounter ... lasting a few minutes, in order to exchanges good wishes on Easter day," said the statement.

Vance, who has been visiting Italy with his family this weekend, met senior Vatican officials for more formal talks on Saturday. The pope, who is recovering from double pneumonia, did not take part in those discussions.

The pope and Vatican officials have criticized several of the policies of President Donald Trump's administration, including his plans to deport millions of migrants from the US and his widespread cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programs.

Francis has called the immigration crackdown a "disgrace". Vance, who became Catholic in 2019, has cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the policy.

The pope rebutted the theological concept Vance used to defend the crackdown in an unusual open letter to the US Catholic bishops about the Trump administration in February, and called Trump's plan a "major crisis" for the United States.