Maersk introduces emergency freight charges due to rising security risks in the Strait of Hormuz, impacting shipping costs across the upper Gulf.
A.P. Moller-Maersk has imposed a sweeping emergency freight charge on cargo moving to and from the upper Gulf, as intensifying security risks around the Strait of Hormuz force operators to reroute, store, and insure shipments at added costs.
The surcharge applies to existing bookings and cargo already in transit. Maersk has set the rate at US$1,800 per 20-foot dry container and US$3,000 per 40-foot dry container. For reefer, special, and dangerous-goods containers, the charge rises to US$3,800. A further US$1,000 per container applies to any vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz—a fee layered on top of the emergency rate.
The measures reach across nearly every major upper-Gulf gateway. Cargo loading from or destined for ports in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia's Dammam and Jubail, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman falls within scope. Only Salalah, on Oman's southern coast outside the strait, is excluded.
For freight forwarders coordinating multimodal moves across the region, the charges reshape cost calculations on live shipments and complicate quotes already extended to clients. Shippers protecting cargo value and importers watching total landed costs now face a fresh variable on any consignment routed through one of the world's most critical trade chokepoints.
Maersk stated that the emergency freight rate covers alternative routing to the final destination, including potential storage and additional charters. It also covers transportation from temporary storage to the final destination once conditions allow the voyage to be completed safely. The separate US$1,000 transit fee covers the direct risks of passing through the strait itself.
'Any vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz will incur an additional fee of USD1000/container,' the company said in an advisory. 'The fee would cover added costs for e.g. insurance premiums and crew risk compensation and replace our separately charged costs for our current landbridge solution. The USD1,000 fee would be on top of the Emergency Freight Rate, which covers the added costs for onward transportation to the upper Gulf.'
The company cautioned that the rate may be adjusted as the situation develops—a signal to forwarders and cargo owners alike that current figures represent a moving baseline rather than a fixed ceiling.
The charges arrive amid a sharp escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran. On September 8, the US military said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to missile attacks on a US Navy warship. The following day, Iran said it had struck 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz—including two US-linked vessels and eight oil tankers—accusing them of using unauthorized routes. At least one seafarer was reported killed and another missing.
The exchange has pushed commercial traffic through the waterway to exceptionally low levels. According to Reuters ship-tracking data, seven vessels transited the strait on Wednesday, down from 12 the previous day and well below the 10-day average of 14. Of the seven, four exited and three entered. Some ships may be sailing with transponders switched off and would not appear in the totals, meaning true traffic could differ from the recorded figures.
The strait carries a substantial share of the world's seaborne crude and liquefied natural gas, and any sustained disruption there ripples through global supply chains, freight rates, and delivery reliability.
Prospects for a near-term resolution appear limited. While President Donald Trump has said he expects the war to end after the November midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported that senior US advisers have privately warned the conflict could persist through the remainder of his presidency—potentially until January 2029.
