Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), the world's largest container carrier, announced on Monday that it is suspending all cargo bookings to the Middle East. This significant commercial decision comes as a direct response to the escalating military situation following attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel on Saturday.

In an advisory, the Geneva-based company stated, "As a precautionary measure, MSC has suspended all bookings for worldwide cargo to the Middle East region until further notice," citing crew safety as the primary concern. MSC added that it is "closely monitoring developments and is working with relevant authorities to ensure the safety of its operations" and that "Middle East bookings will resume as soon as the security situation improves."

It remains unclear whether this suspension includes the Shikra or IPAK Far East shipping routes, which serve Indian ports. The halt in operations represents a substantial reduction in capacity, estimated at 73,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per week across nine services operating in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.