Situation in the Middle East: major disruptions and their implications for our operations
Hello everyone,
As the situation in the Middle East is evolving rapidly, we would like to share an updated overview of the major disruptions affecting both maritime and air logistics infrastructures, as well as their implications for our operations.
Maritime blockages
The main shipping lines have suspended their transits through both the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz due to the escalating regional conflict.
These simultaneous closures are forcing carriers to reroute their vessels via the Cape of Good Hope, lengthening journeys and saturating capacities.
Approximately 1.4% of the global fleet is currently blocked in the Persian Gulf. These vessels represent part of the 3.4 million TEU of total capacity operating on routes that pass through the Strait of Hormuz — roughly 10% of the global fleet.
Airspace blockages
At the same time, the security situation has led to the closure or restriction of large airspaces throughout the region, causing global repercussions for air transport :
Many Middle Eastern countries have closed their airspace, resulting in thousands of flight cancellations and the suspension of operations in major hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Tel Aviv, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
These closures have created a “huge gap in the sky”, forcing aircraft to bypass the region via longer and more congested corridors, with impacts on costs, transit times, and global air cargo capacity availability.
Several thousand flights have been cancelled within a few days due to the prolonged closures of the affected airspaces, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and many aircraft and crews out of position.
As of March 1st, global capacity has decreased by 17 to 20%. Routes connected to the Middle East directly account for 13% of global capacity, triggering domino effects across many commercial corridors.
Expected impacts on our operations
Given these major disruptions, we should expect, in the coming weeks — and possibly months — significant impacts on:
Transport costs, which are likely to rise sharply (rerouting, fuel, restricted capacities).
Available capacity, both maritime and air, due to diversions, congestion, and immobilized assets.
Lead times, which will be considerably longer for both imports and exports.
And consequently, difficulties in replenishing certain stocks, linked to the prolonged instability of the global supply chain.
MSF Supply teams are closely monitoring the situation and will keep you informed of any significant developments. We remain fully committed to finding solutions and mitigating impacts on your operations as much as possible.