The impact that the crisis in the Red Sea has had, is having and will have on maritime transport is considerable and is putting a strain on the operators in the sector and, consequently, all those who They ship goods by sea. Vincent Clerc pointed this out, Managing Director of the shipping company Danish container company Maersk, on the occasion of an online meeting with the company's customers, specifying that the crisis situation will extend until the third quarter of this year, although it is difficult for Clerc to have well-founded elements to presume that this situation will be resolved within a few months. However, Clerc confirmed that Maersk's ships are currently continue to avoid crossing the Suez Canal and are diverted to the route around the Cape of Good Hope.

The lengthening of routes - explained the CEO of the company Danish - involves the introduction of two or three extra ships, depending on traffic, and this initially caused difficulties due to the limited Availability of additional capacity in the presence of a sustained demand for containerized shipping. Today- specified - all ships that can sail and all ships which were previously not fully used in other parts of the world have been redistributed to try to solve the problems of capacity and this - he specified - has alleviated part of the of the problem, but not all the problems, including those of Maersk. Next month - Clerc announced - the company will have shortage of ships or will employ ships of different sizes compared to those normally used on certain routes, "the which - he admitted - will also imply for us a reduced ability to transport all the demand there is".

Clerc also confirmed that it is Asian exports most affected by the current crisis, and the most affected are those between the Far East and Europe through the Suez Canal, but stressed that the problems and dysfunctions have extended to the entire network of ocean shipping routes. The crisis has also led to congestion in the main hub ports, with the airports of Singapore, Shanghai and Australia that are experiencing business congestion due to ships who change course or are forced to vary their programming of their departures. In addition, Clerc warned that the approach of the typhoon season that is expected to hit China will create additional risks of congestion.

Regarding the situation on the routes between the Far East and Northern Europe/Mediterranean, Clerc explained that the current estimates indicate a loss of capacity on routes from and for northern European ports, with demand that continues to be and the capacity to and from the Mediterranean ports due to the variation of routes and port congestion, with forecasts of a loss of capacity which is expected to continue in the third quarter in the presence of a demand that continues to be substantial.

Meanwhile, on the subject of ship recycling, the Maersk group has signed a specific memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications of Bahrain's Industry and Commerce, which provides for the Construction of a shipbreaking yard in the country Middle Eastern. According to the agreement, the shipbuilding company Bahraini Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY), with the regulatory support of the two ministries, will equip its construction site and its quays of the requirements necessary to carry out ship recycling activities. In addition, the Bahraini SULB, specialized in the production of steels for structural uses, will use steel from the recycling process of ships and will process and recycle it for the markets local and international.