Iran War Disrupts Global Supply Chains:Shipping Companies Avoid Strait of Hormuz
Shipping companies are avoiding the Persian Gulf. 13.6 percent of global airfreight capacity is lost. This could also affect tech supply chains.
(Image: Guitar photographer/Shutterstock.com)
Following the escalation of the Middle East conflict between the USA, Israel, and Iran over the weekend, global supply chains are coming under pressure. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, closed airspace over large parts of the Gulf region, and direct damage to port infrastructure are posing problems for shipping companies, airlines, and tech companies.
As Maersk announced in an update, the shipping company has suspended all ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz. This affects all bookings between the Indian subcontinent and the northern part of the Gulf region – i.e., ports in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, and Kuwait, as well as the Saudi Arabian ports of Dammam and Jubail. Maersk is rerouting two important routes – ME11 (Middle East-India towards the Mediterranean) and MECL (Middle East-India to the US East Coast) – around the Cape of Good Hope. The shipping company has also temporarily suspended transits through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. Acceptance of reefer containers and dangerous goods for the entire Gulf region is also suspended.
According to the logistics platform Flexport, transit times on the Asia-Europe and Asia-US East Coast routes will be extended by 10 to 14 days due to the rerouting. At least 150 ships are reportedly blocked following an Iranian warning. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported at least one fatality and several injuries in attacks on merchant ships. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that “no attack on innocent seafarers or civilian shipping is ever justifiable” and recommended all ships to avoid the region until further notice.
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Hapag-Lloyd has also introduced a War Risk Surcharge. Since March 2, 2026, an additional $1500 USD will be charged for standard containers and $3500 USD for reefer containers and special equipment. The surcharge applies to all bookings not yet shipped, cargo already shipped but not yet unloaded, and cargo in transit – affecting all ports in the Persian Gulf from Iraq to Saudi Arabia.
Airfreight and Cloud Infrastructure Affected
In addition to maritime shipping, 13.6 percent of global airfreight capacity is impacted, as airspace over the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran is closed. FedEx has suspended flights to and from numerous countries in the region. Emirates Sky Cargo, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Oman Air Cargo, and the Cathay Group have also reported disruptions or significant delays. The disruption particularly impacts so-called sea-air connections, where cargo is transported via hubs like Dubai using a combination of sea and air transport.
Meanwhile, the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai reported direct physical damage, where debris from an intercepted missile caused a fire, as did a shipyard in Bahrain, where a port worker was killed and two others injured by projectiles. An AWS data center in the UAE was also hit by objects – presumably by missile or drone debris from the Iranian counter-attack.
Growing Risks for Tech Supply Chains
Analysts at the market research company IDC estimate the immediate impact on the global tech industry to be limited. While the UAE is an important regional distribution hub for tech products, globally speaking, the region represents “only a small part of the market,” according to IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani. However, should the conflict – which US President Trump predicts will last four to five weeks – escalate significantly, semiconductor and electronics imports from Asia could also be noticeably hampered if air and sea routes remain simultaneously affected.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is meanwhile hitting energy markets hard. Around one-fifth of the world's traded crude oil normally passes through the strait. Oil prices have already risen significantly. Analysts consider prices of $100 per barrel possible in the event of a prolonged blockade, which, according to Capital Economics, could push global inflation up by 0.7 percentage points. China, Japan, and India, which are heavily dependent on oil imports through the Gulf, are particularly under pressure. European natural gas prices are also skyrocketing. Goldman Sachs warned that even a one-month interruption could double European gas prices – with already unusually low fuel reserves on the continent.
(mki)
