World Shipping Council Warns of Wider Trade Impact from Middle East Crisis

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday March 2, 2026

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has warned that escalating conflict in the Middle East is disrupting global container shipping, with operators pausing or diverting services while assessing the evolving security situation.

Seafarer safety remains the industry’s top priority, Joe Kramek, President and CEO of WSC, said in an email statement on Sunday.

“Seafarers must not be targeted or placed at risk as a result of conflict, and the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation must be respected,” Kramek emphasised.

Several container lines, including Maersk, CMA CGM, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd, have already suspended transits through the region amid escalating tensions, diverting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope instead.

Kramek noted that the Middle East’s position at the crossroads of major trade routes means service suspensions or diversions can trigger wider delays as longer voyages and network adjustments ripple across connected trades.

“The industry has recent experience navigating disruption, including during increased hostility in the Red Sea.”
“While rerouting is complex and can extend transit times, it has enabled trade to continue moving under difficult conditions,” Kramek concluded.

Ship & Bunker News Team
To contact the editor responsible for this story email us at editor@shipandbunker.com