An increasing number of shipping companies have decided to suspend all bookings for transporting goods to and from Russia.
Maersk is the latest to do so. In a press release, the Danish big carrier said it was extremely concerned about the escalation in Ukraine. The company stated that it was following the development of the situation and knew that the various national governments were imposing economic sanctions on Moscow. In light of this, Maersk said that it felt the need to review its current processes for accepting and handling bookings.
Since the stability and security of cargo loading and unloading operations is directly or indirectly impacted by the economic sanctions, “new Maersk bookings within ocean, air and intercontinental rail to and from Russia will be temporarily suspended with the exception of foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies.”
The suspension will take immediate effect as of today and will affect all Russian ports.
Following Maersk’s example, MSC and ONE have also decided to suspend any kind of commercial ties with Russia for the time being.
Translation by Giles Foster
