LONDON/COPENHAGEN- Container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) on Monday suspended bookings to and from Russia while Maersk said it was considering doing the same in response to Western sanctions on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s assault on its neighbor, which Moscow says is a “special operation”, is the biggest state-to-state invasion in Europe since World War Two.
“Booking acceptance to and from St Petersburg, Russia is suspended with immediate effect until further notice whilst we evaluate the operational feasibility,” Singapore-headquartered ONE said in a customer advisory on Monday.
ONE added that it had also suspended bookings for the Russian port of Novorossiisk as well as the Ukrainian container port of Odessa.
Germany’s Hapag Lloyd said on Feb. 24 it had issued a temporary suspension on bookings for Russia and halted sailings for Ukraine. A Hapag spokesperson said on Monday it was “due to the developments we have seen last week and to ensure we comply with any sanctions imposed”.
MSC, the world’s biggest container line by capacity, said as of Monday it was maintaining shipping and inland services to and from Russia “in full compliance with international sanctions measures”.
“Bookings for permitted Russia-related cargo will be accepted only with a thorough screening process by MSC with prepayment required for all imports to Russia,” the company said in a statement.
“We expect Russia-related cargo shipments to be impacted by an increasing number of inspections and controls at European and other international ports.”
Meanwhile, Maersk said on Monday it was closely monitoring the fast-evolving sanctions and restrictions imposed against Russia, and making preparations to comply with them.
