US and Israel's missile strikes on Iran disrupt global shipping, raising fears of a wider conflict and threatening oil and chemical supplies.
Global container shipping is facing disruption after the US and Israel launched missile strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian retaliation across the Arab Gulf. This escalation has raised fears of a wider Middle East conflict that threatens oil and chemical supply, as reported by London's Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS).
Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, stated that the strikes and subsequent Iranian actions are driving significant logistics disruptions that could spread if the conflict continues. The Strait of Hormuz, a key passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is the immediate choke point.
Mr. Levine noted that Iran has banned US vessels from transiting but has not officially closed the strait. However, two oil tankers were attacked nearby on Sunday, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that transits are unsafe.
Lars Jensen, president of Vespucci Maritime, mentioned that several Gulf ports have faced operational suspensions, although Jebel Ali has resumed activity after a small fire caused by falling debris.
Mr. Jensen reported that data from Vesselfinder.com shows 17 container vessels above 4,000 TEU capacity are trapped in the Persian Gulf, totaling 156,000 TEU. Additionally, another 50 smaller vessels are also stuck, bringing the total to about 200,000 TEU.
Mr. Jensen emphasized that the trapped fleet equals the world's 13th largest carrier, representing 0.6 percent of global container capacity. He noted that this matches January data from Alphaliner, which showed the global idle fleet at 0.6 percent.
According to ICIS, Iran's main exports in 2025 were methanol and urea.
