Maersk has suspended all Russia reefer bookings as the conflict escalates in Ukraine, leading to congestion in European ports this week.
The shipping line had earlier told customers in a notice that it would suspend all new bookings to and from Russia but that it had exempted foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies from the suspension.
However, congestion in EU ports had prompted the firm to reconsider the suspension decision.
“We are closely following the ever-evolving situation of new sanctions against Russia and the regular adjustments that are being made to the list of restrictions.
“Given the uncertainties with applications of sanctions, we are seeing significant delays in European hubs for Russia-bound cargo,” Maersk said in its latest notice on Wednesday night.
“As the stability of our operations and our customers’ cargo is critical, it is with great regret that we now also have to temporarily stop acceptance of all new reefer bookings (chilled and frozen) to/from St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad.
“The gateways in Novorossiysk and far-east Russia remain open at this present time,” the shipping line said.
“To further cope with the congested network in European ports, we are temporarily holding the release of equipment for confirmed booking as well as stopping all stuffed containers destined to Russia at first load port or trans-shipment port.”
Maersk said the line was focused on protecting its people, minimising supply chain disruption and not adding to the global congestion in ports and depots.
“We have announced different relief packages that customers impacted by the crisis can make use of. Among the options are free Change of Destination (COD) services and no cancellation fees on bookings to and from Ukraine and Russia,” Maersk said.
The shipping line also extended the interim stop of the Detention and Demurrage clock for Ukraine imports and exports and Russia exports to March 11, 2022.
“We would still like to highlight that, for the cargo that is on its way to Russia and Ukraine that we are currently unable to deliver due to the various restrictions, we will not charge hub storage fees. With the evolving situation with ports in Europe, the Flex Hub Lite products are temporarily suspended for new requests for European hubs,” Maersk said.
“We strongly encourage all customers with cargo destined to or originating from Ukraine and Russia to discuss these possibilities with us in the interest of safeguarding your cargo. We will keep monitoring the situation and reviewing impact from sanctions and export controls, with an ambition to stabilise operations as quickly as we can.”
