The Danish shipping giant Maersk has decided to temporarily suspend vessel calls at the Port of Haifa, Israel and to suspend cargo acceptance for Haifa.
The company announced the decision in an advisory on Friday, mentioning that it is exploring alternative transport solutions to minimise disruption. “We have taken this proactive measure to safeguard our people, assets, and customers’ cargo in light of increased regional instability,” it said.
At the same time, the Danish company continues to call the port in Ashdod and it is making arrangements to offer its customers alternative solutions.
Maersk says it made the decision after “carefully analysing threat risk reports regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran – particularly the potential risks of calling specific Israeli ports and their implications for the safety of our crews.”
The company didn’t disclose how long the suspension will last but said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and stand ready to reassess this decision as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so.
Germany’s container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd is also temporary reduces its services to the Port of Haifa, Israel, amid the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
According to the company’s customer advisory on Friday, Hapag-Lloyd has implemented a temporary reduction of services to the Port of Haifa, following a careful assessment of the current security environment.
“At this time, our Atlantic Loop 7 (AL7) service will continue to call the port, while our East Med Shuttle 3 (EM3) service has temporarily suspended cargo acceptance for Haifa-bound shipments,” noted Hapag-Lloyd.
The German shipping giant said its top priorities remain the safety of its crews and cargo, and the consistent reliability of its service.
“We are actively monitoring the situation through relevant authorities and port operators,” reads the company’s statement.
The Israel-Iran conflict has caused great concerns in the shipping industry, while the impact on various sectors remains to be seen.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a personal statement from Trump at Thursday’s press briefing to clear up “speculation” from the press on whether the United States would be directly involved in the military attacks on Iran.
Leavitt told reporters that the president will decide if the US gets involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next two weeks as he believes there is a “substantial chance of negotiations.”
US president Donald Trump has once again left his position open-ended on whether the United States will take military action against Iran amid the worsening conflict with Israel.
While not revealing his full strategy, Trump hinted that decisions may be made at the last moment. “I have ideas as to what I could do, but they are not final. I like to finalise one second before it’s due. Things change. Especially with war…”
