In the Middle East, the carrier has temporarily suspended selected landside bookings connecting the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman through Jeddah, Salalah and Sohar. The measure affects several cross-border and port-linked transport corridors, although some alternative routings via Salalah, Khor Fakkan and Aqaba remain available.

This is not a full suspension of Maersk’s Red Sea shipping services. It is, however, a clear sign that the latest Houthi threats against Saudi-linked trade are beginning to affect the wider logistics network beyond tankers and maritime routes.

Maersk has also suspended its feeder service through Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, redirecting affected imports to Constanța in Romania and allowing exporters to cancel or shift bookings.

The two decisions involve different regions, but the operational response is similar: when a port, feeder connection or inland corridor becomes unreliable, cargo is moved toward alternative gateways.

For container shipping, the impact of geopolitical risk is increasingly being seen through suspended inland links, port substitutions, cargo restrictions, emergency surcharges and longer supply chains—well before an entire maritime route is formally closed.