Danish container shipping company Maersk, which ceased operations on Red Sea routes on December 15, 2023, has published a forecast that it is unlikely that it will return to these routes before the end of 2024.
“The dangerous area for shipping has expanded, and attacks are occurring further from the coast. All this is forcing ships to increase the detour when delivering goods between Asia and Europe,” the report says.
According to the company’s estimates, fuel costs increased by 40% from December figures, and due to increased delivery times, the company was forced to rent an additional 125 thousand containers.
Let us remind you that Maersk is the second largest company in the world in terms of container transportation volumes. The German company Hapag Lloyd also stated that it does not intend to return to the Red Sea at the moment.