Dear customers, dear partners at home and abroad,
As you have probably already learned from the media, there have been several attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea in the past few days. Attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen on merchant ships are now commonplace in this shipping area.
In response, the majority of container shipping companies have decided to no longer use the Suez Canal route until further notice. Until the Red Sea can be safely navigated again, ships to and from Asia will take the alternative route around the South African Cape of Good Hope.
We would therefore like to inform you at an early stage about the possible effects of this situation on your transports:
- Depending on the port rotation and the speed of the seagoing vessel, the detour will result in a transit time that is approx. 14 to 21 days longer
- We assume that these delays will cause significant shifts in the shipping companies’ timetables in the coming weeks and months
- In addition, we expect that the shipping companies in this shipping area will introduce freight surcharges in the very short term in order to compensate for the longer route and the associated higher fuel consumption. Carriers that continue to sail the Suez Canal despite the dangerous situation will have to pay drastically increased insurance premiums and pass these on through a corresponding “war risk surcharge”.
We are in constant dialogue with everyone involved in transport and will of course actively inform you about the status of your sea freight bookings and the progress of your shipments.
In this context, we would like to expressly point out our well-known Rail China service as an alternative to sea transport. Our team is also available for relatively short-term bookings and the transit time is currently approx. 18 – 21 days from terminal to terminal. Please feel free to contact us about this!
Please contact us at any time with any questions you may have! In addition to your well-known local M&M contacts, 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
Your M&M sea freight team