Shipping companies tell vessels to steer clear of Gulf

LONDON

Two major shipping groups on Feb. 28 suspended navigation through the Gulf as conflict flared between the United States, Israel and Iran, piling onto a growing maritime slowdown in the region.

France's CMA CGM issued a statement telling its vessels in the Gulf to "take shelter" and also suspended passage through the Suez Canal because of the regional conflict.

"All ships currently in the Gulf, or on route to the Gulf, have received the instruction, with immediate effect, to take shelter," said the statement from CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping company.

"Passage through the Suez is suspended until further notice and ships will be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope," which would prolong the journey by thousands of kilometers, the statement added.

Hapag-Lloyd, the world's fifth-largest container shipping company, said it was suspending all transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the open seas, "until further notice."

Several shipping lines, including Danish giant Maersk, warned clients of possible delivery delays as ships re-routed.

According to data from maritime analytics site Marine Tracker, traffic through the trade artery has plummeted and a slew of oil tankers have turned around or been stopped at the strait.

Shipping association BIMCO said that commercial ships with Israeli or American ties could be at risk of being targeted.