Russia-Ukraine war: Global shipping titans suspend bookings to, from Russia
Ocean Network Express (ONE), Maersk, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have suspended operations
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Several global shipping giants have suspended bookings to and from Russia amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Ocean Network Express (ONE), Maersk, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd all suspended operations in the country this week, as Bloomberg first reported.
ONE — the world's sixth-largest container carrier and Asia's second-largest — announced Tuesday that due to the ongoing conflict, it has suspended bookings to and from Odesa, Ukraine; Novorossiysk, Russia; and St. Petersberg, Russia, effective immediately.
Shipping containers sit on the deck of cargo ship One Crane, operated by Ocean Network Express Holdings Ltd., docked at ECT Delta terminal in the Port of Rotterdam, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Peter Boer/Bloomberg)
"The ongoing safety and wellbeing of ONE’s employees & associates in the region is of great importance and concern. Currently ONE’s representatives in the region are safe and continue to work remotely," Singapore-based ONE said.
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MSC and Maersk — the first and second-largest shipping companies in the world, respectively — made similar announcements on Tuesday.
"We are deeply concerned by the crisis in Ukraine. We closely follow governments posing new sanctions on Russia, impacting operations from direct & indirect restrictions. New Maersk bookings to/from Russia will be temporarily suspended except food, medical & humanitarian supplies," Maersk said in a Tuesday tweet.
The Danish company added that its decision to make food and humanitarian supplies exceptions "is to underline that our company is focusing on the social responsibility."
MSC said it is issuing "a temporary stoppage on all cargo bookings to/from Russia, covering all access areas including Baltics, Black Sea and Far East Russia," effective immediately, with the exception of food and humanitarian supplies.
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MSC is "closely monitoring the advice from governments about new sanctions, following the February 2022 conflict in Ukraine, and has been operating shipping and inland services to and from Russia in full compliance with international sanctions measures, applicable to it," the company said.
Shipping containers sit aboard a Maersk container ship at the Port of Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2022 in San Pedro, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Hapag-Lloyd announced its suspension on bookings to and from Russia on Sunday, according to Bloomberg.
The temporary stoppages come as American credit card company MasterCard blocked services to multiple Russian financial institutions. Additionally, Harley-Davidson, Volvo and General Motors are suspending vehicle exports to Russia.