World’s largest ocean cargo carrier turns to trucks to avoid Hormuz

MSC, the world’s largest carrier of ocean container cargo, is turning to trucks in an attempt to minimise disruption caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The company said it is launching a service connecting Europe to ports in the Middle East from May 10. It will use trucks across Saudi Arabia and feeder vessels to connect the GCC, avoiding transit through the strait.

The Europe-Red Sea-Middle East Express will begin operations in response to growing demand and the challenging situation in the Middle East, MSC said in a notice on its website.

The service will set off from Antwerp, call at strategic ports in Europe, transit the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and then connect to King Abdullah Port in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Aqaba in Jordan. 

The route is designed to provide reliable, efficient and competitive shipping options, with improved transit times to suit all kinds of cargo, MSC said.

MSC will use trucks to reach Dammam on Saudi Arabia’s east coast and feeder vessels to connect to other regional ports, including in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait.

Further reading:

• US warning on Hormuz ‘toll’ raises risk of sanctions
• UN Security Council hears IMO plan to reopen Hormuz
• Hormuz blockade: a sieve, not a chokehold

In March Saudi Arabia Railways said it would operate container trains to additional stations nationwide due to the volatility in the Strait of Hormuz. A month later it launched five new logistics routes to enhance supply-chain efficiency and integrate various transport modes.  

The US and Iran have imposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupted global supply chains and impeded 20 percent of oil and gas flows through the waterway.