Maersk suspends two shipping services due to Middle East crisis

Maersk MAERSKb.CO, one of the world's biggest container shipping groups,said on Friday it has temporarily suspended two services linking the Middle East to Asia and Europe as the Iran conflict continues to disrupt global supply chains.

The Danish group said in a statement it would halt its FM1 service connecting the Far East to the Middle East and its ME11 service linking the Middle East to Europe

"This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our personnel and vessels while minimizing operational disruption across our wider network," Maersk said in an advisory to customers.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated sharply after the United States and Israel launched their most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades on Saturday in an operation that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The crisis has left 147 container ships sheltering in the Gulf, triggering port congestion and freight rate increases that are rippling across global supply chains from Asia to Europe, according to freight analytics firm Xeneta.

-Essi Lehto/Reuters