Nearly 140 container ships are currently stuck in the Arabian Gulf as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping.
Ship and Bunker reported that security concerns have made the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb unsafe for navigation, leaving shipping lines to suspend vessel movements, according to freight consultancy Alphaliner. Based upon their figures, 138 container ships with a combined capacity of nearly 470,000 TEU were sheltering in the Gulf as of the beginning of March.
Of those shipping lines most affected, MSC and CMA CGM have 15 vessels (109,000 TEUs) and 14 vessels (70,000 TEUs) respectively, currently trapped. The port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates has about 20 ships berthed there and Alphaliner forecast the disruption could affect about 10.7% of the global container fleet.
For airfreight, flights are slowly resuming with Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai, and some other carriers operating a number of ad hoc flights aimed at moving cargo and repatriating passengers. Most regional airline schedules are canceled.