Maersk imposes surcharge on container shipping amid Suez Canal re-routing

Denmark's Maersk will impose extra charges on container transport from Asia following its decision to re-route ships away from the Suez Canal and take the longer journey around Africa, the company said late on Thursday.

Maersk, one of the world's largest shipping companies, said on Tuesday that its vessels would avoid the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden due to multiple attacks in the area, sailing instead around the Cape of Good Hope.

The additional payments include an immediate transit disruption surcharge (TDS) to cover extra costs associated with the longer journey as well as a peak season surcharge (PSS) from Jan 1. Maersk cited "severe operational disruption".

In total, a standard 20-foot container travelling from China to Northern Europe faces an extra charge of $700, consisting of a $200 TDS and $500 PSS, Maersk said.

Containers bound for the east coast of North America will be charged $500 each, consisting of the $200 TDS payment and a $300 PSS, the company added.

Maersk also said routes in other parts of its network would be affected by the Suez disruption, triggering emergency contingency surcharges on a wide range of journeys.

On Thursday, Germany's Hapag-Lloyd and Hong Kong's OOCL said they would avoid the Red Sea, the latest shipping companies to do so after attacks by Yemen's Houthi group on vessels disrupted global trade, prompting the establishment of a naval task force.