The refrigerated containers of Maersk shipping lines are stacked at the container terminal in the port of Bremerhaven on April 22, 2025 in Bremerhaven, Germany.
Focke Strangmann | Getty Images News | Getty images
The largest organization of direct members in the world for shipowners, charters, navigation brokers and agents warn that although it is not yet clear how Iran will react to the American attack on Saturday against Iranian nuclear installations, the threat to commercial shipment in waters around the Arab peninsula has increased.
“The Houthi threat against expedition to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden has also increased,” said Jakob Larsen, head of security in Bimco, who represents the world shipowners. “The Houthis now threaten merchant ships with an affiliation to Israel or in the United States, but attacks on merchant ships with other affiliations cannot be excluded.”
Larsen said it is planned that the warships and American merchant ships affiliated with Israel or the United States would be the favorite targets for Iranians.
In an email at CNBC, a spokesperson for Hapag Lloyd told CNBC: “We are currently going through Hormuz Street. The alert level is high, however, and things could change on time.”
The supplier of integrated logistics Maersk announced on Friday that it temporarily suspended port calls to the largest port of containers in Israel, Haifa. The cargo installation of $ 4.2 billion in Haifa, owned by the Adani group, was the target of Iranian missiles but has not suffered any damage. Last week, judgeshinder “Robbie” Singh, Adani financial director, deflected the disinformation said that the port was on the fire of a strike on Iranian social networks.
Larsen de Bimco warned that Iran could try a broader disturbance in commercial shipment in the Hormuz Strait by attacks against merchant ships. Missiles or anti-present drones of airborne and surface types could be used in these attacks, he said.
“The installation of sea mines would constitute another dangerous development, but Iran’s intention to do is questionable due to the risk for commercial ships affiliated with Iran and the risk of environmental disaster in the event that a ship is damaged,” said Larsen.
The Hormuz Strait, which links the Persian Gulf to the Oman Sea, is recognized as one of the most important oils in the world. The incapacity of oil to cross the Hormuz Strait, even temporarily, can increase world energy prices, increase navigation costs and create significant delays. In 2023, the oil crosses the navigable track on average 20.9 million barrels per day, according to the US Energy Information Administration, representing approximately 20% of global consumption of oil fluids.
“Given the Iranian threat to the American military bases in the region, the availability of warships for the protection of commercial shipment is probably limited, in particular for commercial ships without affiliation in the United States or in Israel,” said Larsen.
The Hormuz Strait manages less than 4% of world container trade, but the ports of Jebel Ali and Khor Fakkan are critical intermediate points for global shipping networks in the region.
The majority of the volumes of goods in these ports are intended for Dubai, which has become a center for the freight movement with food services in the Persian Gulf, South Asia and East Africa.
The conflict in the region has also sparked ocean freight rates to go from Shanghai to Jebel Ali, the largest port in the Persian Gulf.
The freight intelligence company, Xeneta, said that the average ad hoc rates increased by 55% per month, before the climbing of conflicts between Israel and Iran. The prices are now $ 2,761 per unit equivalent (fire) of forty feet, a standard unit to measure the capacity of container ships and the volume of freight.
On the oil makers’ side, the punctual prices for very large gross transporter (VLCC) between the Middle East and China increased by 154% by a week over the week. Prices on the long-range commercial road to oil tankers (LR2) of the Middle East-Japan increased by 148% and very high gas transport rates in the Middle East Japon (VLGC) increased by 33%.
The reason for the increase in rates includes additional expenditure on safety measures, higher bunker fuel prices and fuel costs, as ships use more fuel due to faster navigation in high -risk areas.
Marsh McLennan, the largest maritime insurance broker in the world, has noted that hull insurance rates and machines for ships passing the Hormuz Strait increased by more than 60%.
In light of the latest wave of defense measures, Bimco encourages shipowners to examine their safety risk assessments and carefully consider attenuation measures.
“Merchant ships in the region should consider reducing their exposure to Iran threats, for example, rushing away from the Iranian coast,” said Larsen. “We also recommend that ships maintain close contact with naval forces in the region thanks to British maritime commercial operations, maintain high vigilance and increased meat, report suspicious observations and events to UKMTO, and increase the resilience of ships to absorb damage by ensuring waterproof integrity and preparing for the organization of damage, including Damage. “
“Bimco never recommends directly to the shipowners to stay completely away from a conflict zone. Such a decision must be taken by the shipowner, taking into account all the relevant factors of security risk assessment, including, for example, the threat, the vulnerabilities of the ship and the level of risk acceptance of seafarers, shipowners and the owner of the cargo.”
