Maersk, the world’s second-largest container carrier, said it is again accepting imports at Israel’s Port of Haifa days after suspending service when the city came under missile attack from Iran.
The carrier (OTC: AMKBY) in an advisory said it re-opened Haifa cargo service for imports June 25.
“We are monitoring the situation very closely and based on the recent developments and with prospects of a ceasefire currently in place, we expect to be able to re-open export cargo acceptance once the lower safety risk of doing so has been reconfirmed.”
Maersk said operations continue at the Port of Ashdod, also in Israel.
It went on to say that the critical Strait of Hormuz “remains navigable”.
The narrow waterway guards the entrance to the Persian Gulf, where some 20% of the world’s crude oil supply and 2-3% of global container traffic originates.
“Our teams are working out contingency plans on a case-by-case basis to swiftly adapt to potential changes and will update customers of changes to the situation,” Maersk added.
Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire after the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities.
At the same time, there have been ongoing reports of disruptions to satellite ship identification systems in the region. Those disruptions are suspected ahead of the June 17 collision and fire involving two tankers off the United Arab Emirates, about 24 miles south of the Strait of Hormuz.
Reports claim that some merchant ships have taken to broadcasting fake messages identifying themselves as Arab vessels or with Muslim crews, to throw off malicious targeting.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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