BEIJING: Chinese shipping giant Cosco operates one of the world’s biggest oil tanker fleets. They announced it was suspending services to and from Gulf countries from Wednesday. This includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait.
Other shipping giants including Maersk and MSC have already announced that they have halted operations in the region.
The state-owned, Shanghai-based firm is one of several major shipping groups. These groups have halted vessel operations in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a key waterway for global energy transit.
Cosco Shipping Lines announced an immediate suspension of all new bookings. This applies to routes through the Strait of Hormuz. The suspension will continue until further notice.
The company blamed the disruption. The reason was “the escalating conflicts in the Middle East region.” Another cause was “the resultant restrictions on maritime traffic” in the strait.
The company said in a statement that new worldwide bookings have been halted. These bookings were bound for Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, and parts of the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
It has also suspended services from Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and parts of the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah, along with the UAE’s Khor Fakkan and Fujairah, are excluded from the suspensions. These locations can be reached without passage through the Hormuz Strait.
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