Maersk, one of the world’s largest container shipping groups, said on Friday it had temporarily suspended two services linking the Middle East with Asia and Europe as the Iran conflict continues to disrupt global supply chains.
The Danish group said in a statement that it would stop its FM1 service connecting the Far East with the Middle East and its ME11 service connecting the Middle East with Europe.
“This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our personnel and vessels while minimizing operational disruption across our wider network,” Maersk said in a notice to customers.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply after the United States and Israel launched the most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades on Saturday in an operation that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The crisis has left 147 container ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, triggering port congestion and rising freight rates that are spreading across global supply chains from Asia to Europe, according to cost analysis firm Xeneta.
