Dear customers, dear partners at home and abroad:
As you have no doubt already heard from the media, there were a number of attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea over the past few days. Attacks on merchant ships by the Houthi rebels from Yemen are becoming an everyday occurrence in this trade lane.
In response, the majority of container shipping companies have decided to temporarily stop using the route via the Suez Canal. Until the Red Sea can be sailed safely again, vessels to and from Asia are going to take the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
We would therefore like to notify you in good time of the possible impact of this situation on your shipments:
- Depending on the port rotation and speed of the ocean-going vessel, the detour will result in an approximately 14 to 21 days longer transit time.
- We assume that these delays will cause significant shifts in shipping schedules in the coming weeks and months.
- We also expect the shipping companies in this trade to introduce freight surcharges at very short notice in order to compensate for the longer route and the resulting higher fuel consumption. Carriers that continue to sail the Suez Canal despite the dangerous situation will incur drastically increased insurance premiums and pass these on in the form of a “War Risk Surcharge”.
We are in constant dialog with all parties involved in transport and will of course keep you informed of the status of your sea freight bookings and the progress of your shipments.
In this context, we would like to expressly draw your attention to our well-established Rail China Service as an alternative to ocean freight. Our rail team is at your disposal for short-term bookings; the transit time is currently approx. 18 – 21 days from terminal to terminal. For more information, please get in touch with us.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time! In addition to the local M&M representatives you know, our specialist departments are available to you as follows:
Sea Freight Hamburg
+49 40 236111 61
ham.oceanrequests@mumnet.com
Team Rail
+49 211 437 186 12
sales.rail-germany@mumnet.com
Best regards,
the M&M Sea Freight Team
