Shipping Companies have suspended operations through the Strait of Hormuz, as conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran led to several missile attacks across the Middle East and Iran’s warning that the strategic waterway is ‘basically closed’. CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping company, issued a statement instructing its ships to ‘take shelter’ and also cancelled sailings through the Suez Canal until the situation normalises. Ships will take the longer Cape of Good Hope route, which will delay the journey by thousands of kilometres, increasing delivery times and shipping costs. LATEST VIDEOS Ad ends in 26 Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping company, also suspended all operations through the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Gulf to the Open Sea. Maersk also issued a notice to its customers stating there could be delivery delays due to the current situation in the Middle East. The U.S Navy has also warned ships to stay away from the Gulf as they might become a target of the Iranian Navy. The Strait of Hormuz is a major transit point for global oil shipments. Around 20 million barrels of crude oil passed through the Strait daily in 2024, equal to nearly 20% of global liquid oil consumption, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As of now, just a few Iranian and Chinese Ships can pass through the Strait, while hundreds of tankers have dropped anchor in open waters outside the Strait. The European Union’s mission to the Red Sea confirmed that ships had received radio messages from the IRGC that the strait was blocked to maritime traffic, even though no such formal closure was declared by international maritime agencies. The Strait of Hormuz has become a dangerous waterway, a site of ship seizures and missile attacks. It connects the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and lies between Iran and Oman’s Musandam exclave, situated at the tip of a peninsula. Shipping association BIMCO has stated that commercial vessels with links to the U.S or Israel could become the target of an attack.