Iran War Adds 20% to Container Freight Costs, Maersk CEO Confirms

Vincent Clerc, chief executive of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has confirmed that the surge in transport costs triggered by the war between the United States, Israel and Iran will be passed directly to customers and ultimately to consumers worldwide. Speaking to the BBC in an exclusive interview, Clerc said the Danish shipping group operates traditional contracting mechanisms that automatically transfer fuel price fluctuations to clients, regardless of whether they rise or fall.

The extra charges work out at roughly 200 dollars for a standard 20-foot container, which translates into a freight cost increase of 15 to 20 percent depending on the route and cargo. The world's second largest container line said the disruption has had a profound impact on its operations, with many customers no longer receiving regular deliveries.

The Strait of Hormuz, which previously handled about 20 percent of global seaborne oil and a similar share of liquefied natural gas, has been largely closed to commercial traffic since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated air strikes on Iran. In response, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps issued navigation warnings, boarded merchant vessels and laid sea mines in the waterway. Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC suspended all transits through the strait within days.

Oil prices reacted sharply to the outbreak of hostilities, briefly surging close to 120 dollars a barrel before easing back to around 87 dollars, still nearly 20 percent above pre-war levels. Heavy fuel oil prices at the world's twenty largest bunkering hubs have nearly doubled since the conflict began, according to data from Ship and Bunker. Container shipping rates rose 12 percent in the two weeks following the strikes based on the Drewry world container index, and average global container rates were hovering between 2,100 and 2,200 dollars per 40-foot container in early May 2026.

Maersk has formalised its pricing response through a series of operational updates. The carrier introduced a Strait of Hormuz Closure Emergency Freight Increase covering trades to and from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman. A Transit Disruption Surcharge has been added to cover the extra costs of capacity constraints and rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope, while the Emergency Bunker Surcharge has been revised upward in line with bunker fuel volatility. For air cargo, fuel surcharges are now reviewed weekly based on market indices, and contract renewals without a fuel surcharge clause now allocate 15 percent of the rate to fuel costs.

Landside operations have also been hit. AP Moller-Maersk lifted some of its inland and intermodal freight charges by 27 percent, citing an unprecedented cost environment created by the energy market turmoil. The company described the adjustments as temporary and cost reflective, while warning that further increases may be required as conditions evolve.

Clerc said the carrier has redirected significant volumes onto land bridges, trucks and rail to keep priority cargo moving in the Gulf region, but acknowledged that road and rail cannot replace the volumes carried by large container vessels. He warned that lower priority categories such as petrochemical exports will have to take the back seat while logistics networks focus on food and essential goods. The disruption has been particularly acute in regions that depend heavily on imported food, where companies have struggled to maintain regular deliveries.

China's transport ministry summoned executives from Maersk and another major carrier on 10 March to discuss their international shipping operations, in a move widely interpreted as a complaint about the higher freight charges. Rivals MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have also raised charges to reflect the new operating environment.

The situation in early May 2026 remains highly fluid. On 4 May, President Donald Trump launched Operation Project Freedom, a US Navy mission to escort merchant ships out of the Persian Gulf. On 5 May, Maersk confirmed that the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged roll on roll off vessel operated by its subsidiary Farrell Lines, had safely transited the Strait of Hormuz under US military protection after being stranded in the Gulf since 28 February. The following day, Trump announced a temporary pause in Project Freedom to assess the potential for a final agreement with Iran. Maersk has stated that it will only return to regular Hormuz transits when its security teams deem the route 100 percent safe.

Clerc has repeatedly stressed that a durable solution requires a diplomatic settlement that restores freedom of navigation, arguing that permanent naval escorts through such a narrow waterway would be operationally impractical.