Maersk Operations through Red Sea / Gulf of Aden

Updated 6 May 2024

For vessel contingency and diversion updates, please click here to visit our tracker. For the most up-to-date information on specific shipments, please use our shipment and container tracking. For service updates, please click here.

For information on Red Sea / Gulf of Aden-related surcharges for cargo from Far East Asia, click here. For information on surcharges for exports from all other locations, click here.

06 May 2024 – Update 09

The effects of the situation in the Red Sea are widening and continuing to cause industry-wide disruptions. We are developing solutions with the goal of offering our customers greater reliability for their supply chains.

In this email, you will find an overview of the challenges we are facing, as well as the steps we are taking to minimise the impact of delays and disruption. Importantly, you can also gauge what this means for your business – now and in the months to come.

The effects of the Red Sea situation

The complexity of the situation in Red Sea has intensified over the last few months. To safeguard our crew, vessels, and your cargo, we are rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future. However, the risk zone has expanded, and attacks are reaching further offshore. This has forced our vessels to lengthen their journey further, resulting in additional time and costs to get your cargo to its destination for the time being.

The knock-on effects of the situation have included bottlenecks and vessel bunching, as well as delays and equipment and capacity shortages. We estimate an industry wide capacity loss of 15-20% on the Far East to North Europe and Mediterranean market during Q2.

We are doing what we can to boost reliability, including sailing faster and adding capacity.

What can you expect?

We have added capacity, where possible, in line with our customers’ needs. So far, we have leased more than 125,000 additional containers.

You will see relevant surcharges on your latest invoices. These are to offset the costs of the longer journeys, increased sailing speed, and additional fuel costs. For example, we are currently using 40% more fuel per journey and charter rates are currently three times higher, often fixed for five years.

While we reduced the Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) recently, it has been increased again to help cover the additional costs outlined above. We will continue to review the surcharges regularly and will keep you up to date of any changes.

We will continue to seek ways to improve our offering and meet your supply chain needs.

We’re here to help

If you have any further questions, please contact your local Maersk representative. They are standing by to help you plan your future supply chain moves and can offer more information on the options available to you.

Thank you for your understanding during this challenging time.

Over the recent weeks, European Union security operation Aspides has taken shape and we welcome this as a very positive development to increase the safety in the region and reduce in the future the risk of threat to the vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Bab el Mandeb Strait specifically. We are in continuous dialogue with the representatives of this joint operation and we monitor its development. We hope that it will – together with other initiatives already ongoing (such as Operation Prosperity Guardian), as well as future ones – enable the safe return of regular operations via the Red Sea.

Regretfully, both our internal analysis, as well as insight we received from external sources, still indicates that the risk level in the region remains elevated. We have seen attacks on commercial vessels increase in numbers, including the tragic attack on the vessel True Confidence, which resulted in the death of three crew members, and the sinking of the vessel Rubymar, which is posing a serious environmental risk. These incidents unfortunately highlight the lethal effectiveness of missiles currently used by Houthi attackers and are one of the reasons for the elevated security risk we have in place at the moment.

At Maersk, we are aware that some other shipping lines have continued sailing through the Red Sea despite security risks or have announced their plans to resume sailing. We respect the right of each carrier to make such decisions individually. At the same time, we continue with our own assessment that current situation does not allow us to make a similar decision and with thus still believe that sailing via the Cape of Good Hope and around Africa is the most reasonable solution at the moment and the one that currently allows the best supply chain stability. Network changes are complex and take time to implement and we believe we should only implement such changes when they can be sustained over a longer period of time. We continue to believe it is the only way to avoid further disruption under the current circumstances.

As we have mentioned many times, our utmost priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our crews, the safety of vessels they are sailing on and the safety and integrity of our customers’ cargo we are transporting. We would like to thank all our customers who have shown appreciation and the understanding of the decisions we have been taking.

As we navigate through the current uncertainties, we are also gearing up for the future and have announced our new 2025 network, based on modular solutions, allowing greater flexibility and responsiveness to future potential disruptions and improved level of schedule reliability.

We remain hopeful that resuming sailing through the Red Sea will become possible in the near future and we are committed to providing our customers with regular updates on the developments.

On 2nd January 2024, A.P. Moller – Maersk announced that it would pause all vessels bound for the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden in light of the recent incident involving Maersk Hangzhou and ongoing developments in the area.

The situation is constantly evolving and remains highly volatile, and all available intelligence at hand confirms that the security risk continues to be at a significantly elevated level. We have therefore decided that all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future.

We understand the potential impact this will have on your logistics operations, but please rest assured that all decisions have been carefully considered and ultimately prioritise the safety of our vessels, seafarers and your cargo.

By suspending voyages through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden, we hope to bring our customers more consistency and predictability despite the associated delays that come with the re-routing.

While we continue to hope for a sustainable resolution in the near-future and do all we can to contribute towards it, we do encourage customers to prepare for complications in the area to persist and for there to be significant disruption to the global network. Our teams are on hand to support with your planning, should you need any assistance.

Vessel contingencies will continue to be communicated with customers on a case-by-case basis. Please also continue to visit our online tracker, which will be updated with the latest scheduling information as soon as it becomes available.

The previously announced Transit Disruption Surcharge (TDS), Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) and Emergency Contingency Surcharge (ECS) for all cargo on vessels affected by the disruptions around the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden remain in effect. Please click here for more information on exports from Far East Asia, or click here for exports from all other locations.

We greatly appreciate your trust, loyalty and understanding as we work through these challenging circumstances. Should you have any questions or wish to discuss options for your cargo, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative.

Following the 30 December incident involving our vessel, Maersk Hangzhou, we have decided to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until further notice.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing and we will continue to pause all cargo movement through the area while we further assess the constantly evolving situation. In cases where it makes most sense for our customers, vessels will be rerouted and continue their journey around the Cape of Good Hope. The latest information is available on our diversion and contingency plans page.

We remain committed to minimising the impact on our customers’ supply chains and will continue to keep you updated on the situation. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the options for your cargo, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative.

Following an incident involving one of our vessels, the A.P. Moller – Maersk group (Maersk) has today decided to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until 2 January.

The vessel in question is the Maersk Hangzhou. On December 30, at approximately 18:00 CET, it was hit by an unknown object after passing through the Bab al- Mandab Strait en route from Singapore to Port Suez, Egypt. There was no indication of a fire on board and the vessel was able to continue its transit north. After the initial attack, four boats approached Maersk Hangzhou and opened fire in an attempt to board the vessel. Maersk Hangzhou’s security team, along with a helicopter deployed from a nearby navy vessel, successfully thwarted the attempt.

The crew of the Maersk Hangzhou is reported to be safe. The safety of our crew is our utmost priority and all necessary security measures have been implemented to protect them. The crew will also receive all the support they need from Maersk.

As shared in our update on 29 December, Maersk Hangzhou was among the first vessels to go through the Red Sea again following confirmation that the multinational security initiatives, Operation Prosperity Guardia (OPG), had been deployed in the area.

Maersk is currently working to ascertain the full details of the incident involving Maersk Hangzhou. We are in close dialogue with the OPG naval operation and authorities to assess the security level in the area and any potential impact to our voyage plans.

We expect to provide our customers with an update and more information on 2 January 2024 at the latest.

A.P. Moller – Maersk continues to monitor developments around the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden and are making carefully considered changes to services to ensure the safety of our seafarers, vessels, and customers’ cargo.

As of Sunday 24 December 2023, we received confirmation that the multi-national security initiative Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) had been set up and deployed to allow maritime commerce to pass through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway between Asia and Europe. With this reassurance, Maersk announced that it was preparing to allow for its vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea, both eastbound and westbound.

Our teams have now started to update voyage plans on a vessel-by-vessel basis, which will see the first vessels pass through the Red Sea again. This is most welcome news for the entire industry and the functionality of global trade. Please note that for the foreseeable future, voyage plans are expected to include transit through the Red Sea as well as shipments diverted via the Cape of Good Hope. It is important to note that the overall risk in the area, at this stage, is not eliminated and the challenging situation in the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden remains. Our utmost priority has been and always will be the safety of our seafarers, our vessels and your cargo and our teams are preparing voyage plans with this in mind.

Accordingly, we will share the latest voyage details with our customers as soon as we can, and you can also stay updated on the latest vessel contingency plans here: Red Sea / Gulf of Aden Situation: Vessel Contingency Updates | Maersk.

The previously announced Transit Disruption Surcharge (TDS), Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) and Emergency Contingency Surcharge (ECS) for all cargo on vessels affected by the disruptions around the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden will remain in effect until further notice. Our teams will continue to evaluate the impact of the situation and hope to withdraw the surcharges as soon as it is operationally feasible to do so.

We greatly appreciate your trust, loyalty and understanding during such challenging times and look forwards to continuing to serve your needs.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss options for your cargo, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative.

The recent security situation around the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden has seen Maersk and other carriers pause, adjust and divert services away from the area in the interest of safety. Our utmost priority has been and always will be the safety of our seafarers as well as your cargo on our vessels, and all contingency measures have been introduced with these in mind.

As of Sunday 24 December 2023, we have received confirmation that the previously announced multi-national security initiative Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) has now been set up and deployed to allow maritime commerce to pass through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway between Asia and Europe. This is most welcome news for the entire industry and indeed the functionality of global trade.

With the OPG initiative in operation, we are preparing to allow for vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea both eastbound and westbound. We are currently working on plans for the first vessels to make the transit and for this to happen as soon as operationally possible. While doing so, ensuring the safety of our employees is of the utmost importance and our number one priority in handling the challenging situation in the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden area.

Our teams are still assessing the immediate effects of the resolution, and we kindly request your patience while we understand the impact it will have in terms of diverted vessels, surcharges, booking acceptance and further contingency measures. We will communicate the latest details of this new setup with you as soon as we have more information, which we expect to be in the coming days.

Please also note that although security measures are in place to enable the transit of the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden for our vessels, the overall risk in the area is not eliminated at this stage. Maersk will not hesitate to re-evaluate the situation and once again initiate diversion plans if we deem it necessary for the safety of our seafarers.

We are extremely grateful for your trust, loyalty and understanding through such challenging circumstances and we look forward to continuing to serve your logistics needs.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss options for your cargo, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative.

On Friday 15 December 2023, A.P. Moller – Maersk announced that it would pause all vessels bound for the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden over the highly escalated security situation in the area. This decision was taken to ensure the safety of our crew, vessels and customers’ cargo onboard.

Having monitored developments closely and retrieved all available intelligence, Maersk has decided that all vessels previously paused and due to sail through the region will now be re-routed around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope for safety reasons. They will continue their voyages on the diverted routes as soon as operationally feasible and we will update customers on the latest details when we know more.

For all future vessels planned to sail through the area, a case-by-case assessment will take place to determine whether adjustments need to be made – including diversions via the Cape of Good Hope and further contingency measures. We will continue to provide all information to affected customers on a vessel-by-vessel basis as soon as possible.

We have faith that a solution enabling a return to using the Suez Canal and transiting through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will be introduced in the near future, but at this time it remains difficult to determine exactly when this will be. As such, getting vessels moving via the Cape of Good Hope will ultimately be a faster and more predictable outcome for customers and their supply chains.

We understand the impact this may have on your logistics operations, but please rest assured that all decisions have been carefully considered by our teams and only implemented in the name of safety.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss options for your cargo, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative. We appreciate your trust and loyalty as we work through these challenging circumstances.

A.P. Moller – Maersk is deeply concerned about the highly escalated security situation in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the area are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety and lives of seafarers, as well as the functionality of global trade.

Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar on Thursday 14 December 2023 and yet another attack on a container vessel on Friday 15 December 2023, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice.

We are monitoring the situation constantly and retrieving all available intelligence on the security situation in the area. We expect to share more information about any next steps for these paused vessels within the next few days.

Ensuring the safety of our employees is of the utmost importance and our number one priority in handling this challenging situation. We are also committed to ensuring the stability of our customers’ supply chains, and we are working closely with our logistics teams and taking the necessary steps to minimise the impact on customers.

We understand the potential impact this will have on your supply chain, but rest assured that all decisions have been carefully considered and only implemented to ensure the safety of our vessels, crew and your cargo.

We appreciate your trust and loyalty as we work through these challenging circumstances. If you have any questions or wish to discuss options, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative.

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