Hapag-Lloyd says the Middle East conflict is generating an additional $40 million to $50 million in weekly costs, offering one of the clearest corporate measures yet of how expensive regional shipping disruption has become. Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said the burden is not sustainable for long, with six company vessels and roughly 150 crew members still stranded in the Persian Gulf.
The warning shows that the crisis is no longer just about oil prices or isolated tanker delays. Major shipping lines are now absorbing direct losses from rerouting, idle tonnage, crew constraints, insurance costs and longer voyage planning, all of which feed through to freight markets and supply chains.
While Hapag-Lloyd is a container carrier rather than a tanker operator, its experience reflects the wider stress across maritime trade lanes exposed to the Middle East conflict. TankerMap data likewise points to lower-than-normal traffic in Gulf waters and rising pressure on vessel availability. If the standoff drags on, shipping companies will face tougher decisions on route deployment, surcharge pass-through and service continuity. Source: gCaptain/