Cosco halts Middle East bookings as risks in Hormuz escalate

China’s Cosco Shipping Lines has suspended new bookings to and from several Middle Eastern locations, citing restrictions on transiting the Strait of Hormuz and escalating unrest in the region.

IMAGE: Couple of COSCO's container ships docking at a port. COSCO

Bookings to and from Khor Fakkan and Fujairah in the UAE and the Port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, will remain exempt from the suspension, Cosco said.

Services to other ports in the UAE and Saudi Arabia will be suspended, along with all services to and from Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait.

Meanwhile, several container liners, including CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have halted trans-Suez services through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and rerouted affected voyages via the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.

By Konica Bhatt

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online