Attention! Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and many other shipping companies have announced the suspension of bookings to and from Russia!

It is reported that Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and ONE have all issued notices announcing the immediate suspension of bookings to and from Russia.

Maersk

Maersk announced on March 1 that it is deeply concerned about the escalating crisis in Russia and Ukraine and is closely monitoring the changing situation. Governments have imposed new sanctions on Russia and regularly adjust the list of restrictions. With this in mind, Maersk said it was necessary to establish new and revise existing processes for accepting and processing bookings.

In the announcement, Maersk said that it sees the impact of sanctions on global supply chain flows, such as delays and detention of goods by customs authorities at various transshipment centers, which will generally lead to unpredictable operational impacts.

As the stability and security of Maersk's operations have been directly and indirectly affected by the sanctions, new bookings for Maersk sea, air and intercontinental rail freight to and from Russia will be suspended, with the exception of food, medical supplies and humanitarian supplies. Effective from today (March 1), it covers all gateway ports in Russia. Maersk will reveal more details in the coming days as the plan moves forward.

For them, the key, Maersk said, is to minimise supply chain disruptions and not exacerbate congestion in ports and warehouses around the world. For shipments and reservations that were already in progress prior to the announcement of the suspension, the company will do its best to deliver it to the intended destination.

In addition, the Maersk announcement mentioned that major delays are expected as countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany detain ships heading to Russia in search of restricted goods, mainly dual-use items. The inspection of export and transshipment cargo destined for Russia is related to enforcement procedures, compliance with sanctions and export controls recently imposed by different jurisdictions.

Maersk said its team has been in constant contact with local customs and port authorities to expedite the release of all shipments not subject to sanctions and export controls, prioritizing humanitarian items such as food, medicine, hygiene and personal care. These delays are expected to have a knock-on effect on maritime networks across the region, causing further delays and congestion.

In addition, the announcement also mentioned that due to full compliance with laws and regulations and its policies, Maersk cannot receive or make payments from any sanctioned Russian bank or any other sanctioned party. (For specific sanctions, please refer to: "Financial Nuclear Bomb"! Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom exclude Russia from the SWIFT payment system)

MSC

Mediterranean Shipping issued a notice yesterday that from March 1, MSC will suspend all cargo bookings to and from Russia, including all routes including the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Russian Far East, and said it will continue to accept and screen delivery of food, medical equipment and reservations of essentials such as humanitarian items.

The MSC informed that it has been closely following the proposals of governments on new sanctions following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, and has been operating shipping to and from Russia in full compliance with international sanctions applicable to Russia and inland service. When necessary, MSC will contact the customer directly regarding any Russia-related cargo already in transit.

CMA CGM

On March 1, CMA CGM issued an announcement stating that for safety reasons, it has decided to suspend all bookings to and from Russia from March 1 until further notice.

ONE

On February 28, ONE issued an announcement stating that due to recent developments in Ukraine and Russia, ONE’s business in the region has been disrupted, and its ability to transport goods to certain destinations has been or may be hindered, therefore:

• Immediate suspension of bookings to and from Odessa, Ukraine and Novorossiysk, Russia until further notice;

• Suspended acceptance of bookings to and from St. Petersburg, Russia, effective immediately until further notice, while operational feasibility will be assessed.

Separately, ONE said it was looking for solutions for those cargoes that are currently being shipped by sea.

Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd issued a notice on February 24 to immediately suspend bookings in Russia. The company also issued an update yesterday, saying the restrictions imposed by the sudden closure of ports affected supply chains in many parts of the world. As such, Hapag-Lloyd will offer free Change of Destination (COD) services for containers in transit and free cancellation of bookings for shipments entering Russia and Ukraine.

In addition to shipping companies suspending bookings to and from Russia, logistics giants UPS and FedEx have also previously announced the suspension of delivery services to Russia and Ukraine.