SIMIC

Gary Howard | Feb 28, 2022

In Maersk’s latest update on its response to the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the company said it was “monitoring and preparing to comply with the ever-evolving sanctions and restrictions imposed against Russia... Our preparations include a possible suspension of Maersk bookings to and from Russia on ocean and inland.”

Air operations will also be impacted as air space restrictions expand, it added.

Related: Tanker rates rocket on Ukraine conflict, outlook uncertain

Maersk said it was focused on protecting cold chain operations as its cargoes include groceries and pharmaceuticals, and that it was “doing everything possible to prevent risk to the above cargo and in turn risk to the end-users in need of these commodities.”

The latest update comes as Ukraine’s allies apply economic pressure on Russia via means including sanctions against people, banks and companies, freezing Russian assets, closing airspace to Russian planes and supplying arms and aid to Ukraine’s military.

Related: Widespread shipping fallout following Ukraine invasion

Maersk previously announced measures to support customers affected by disruptions around Russia's invason of Ukraine, including:

Free Change of Destination services, subject to re-stowage and shifting costs.

No cancellation fee on active bookings to and from Ukraine.

Interim stop of the Detention and Demurrage clock for containers in Ukraine until March 3rd, 2022, where the D&D responsibility lies with Maersk.

Flex Hub Lite – access to up to 28 days free time in selected hub ports. This is a chargeable service that comes at a fixed cost of US $800.