MSC has confirmed that the 4,800 TEU MSC Sariska V was hit by two “projectiles” on Monday, 40 nautical miles south-east of the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.
The shipping line reported the first attack hit the vessel while the pilot was on board as the vessel departed from port, and a second impacted the crew area shortly afterwards. All crew members were confirmed safe. “This retaliatory action is completely unjustified, since MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel,” said the company.
The incident follows a period of relative calm, but Craig Reilly of IAMTrusted DASA International Movers advised that the freight picture tells a different story. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, the 170-vessel backlog that has been straining regional infrastructure since the early weeks of this crisis has not cleared. In addition, other reports suggest that the trucking land bridge option from Jeddah to the Gulf appears increasingly difficult to maintain. In the past few days, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have separately notified customers that they would no longer accept UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq bookings through Jeddah.
Reilly encouraged IAM members to be fully aware of freight rates for any shipment they are handling. Emergency freight rates are running $1,800 for a 20-foot dry container, $3,000 for a 40-foot, and $3,800 for reefer, special, or dangerous goods. Storage at Jebel Ali accrues at $25 per TEU per day after day 14, so budget $350 to $525 per container for a 14- to 21-day dwell. Empty-return penalties are now in force: $600 per 40-foot container at Jebel Ali, $2,500 per 20-foot at Qatar, and $2,055 per 20-foot at Ajman. Air fuel surcharges are increasing weekly, and Maersk has introduced a new Transit Disruption Surcharge on top of existing levies. “Anyone quoting Upper Gulf cargo movements without these numbers in their cost model is underquoting,” said Reilly.
IAM member Move One has also updated IAM with their latest update and country-by-country report.
IAM Member Impact: Members should carefully understand the full costs related to any shipment that they are quoting to and from the region.
Sources: The Loadstar, DASA International Movers, Move One
Member Contributions: DASA International Movers, Move One