The German company "Hapag-Lloyd" has joined its competitors today, Friday, in announcing additional fees on goods transported to and from the Middle East, following a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The shipping company stated that "temporary seasonal additional fees" will be applied to containers traveling from Asia and Oceania to the Red Sea area, which includes Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, starting from January 1 until further notice.
It added that containers traveling in the opposite direction will also incur "additional operational fees for their safe return." From January 22, these additional fees will also be applied to goods traveling from the region between India and the Middle East to North America. The additional fees range from $250 to $1,000 depending on the route and container size. A spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd told Reuters that the additional fees were in response to the uncertain situation in the Red Sea. Alongside Hapag-Lloyd, the companies "Maersk" and "CMA CGM" have also imposed additional fees after the Houthi group in Yemen began targeting crossing vessels in the Red Sea, raising concerns about disruptions to global trade.
