Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, yesterday announced a change to its booking window for Asia-Pacific (APA) trades. 

The change was adopted in response to the escalating tensions in the Red Sea, the company said in its advisory. 
“By adjusting the booking window, we can offer our customers more certainty and reduce the likelihood of changes,” the advisory stated. 

Accordingly the revised booking window policy is applied to a list of trades in APA including North America East Coast, West Coast, South America, East Coast South America, North Europe, Mediterranean, East Africa, West Africa, South Africa, West Central Asia (Middle East), West Central Asia (Indian subcontinent) and Australia. 

Effective from15 July 2024, the booking window for APA trades is set for 28 days. The window will be calculated from the date the customer booking is received until the estimated time of departure (ETD) of vessel. 

Bookings made after 15 July 2024 that go beyond the new booking window will not be accepted.

The changes are being exclusively applied to APA trades and will remain in place until further notice. 
The Red Sea, a critical conduit for 30 percent of the world’s container traffic, is currently facing a shipping crisis of unprecedented scale due to the recent Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East. 

Attacks on commercial vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in what it says is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians have caused a significant downturn in maritime activity in the strategic shipping route. 

As of end-March 2024, the volume of traffic through the Suez Canal and Bab El-Mandeb Strait has dropped by half, while the alternative route via the Cape of Good Hope route has witnessed a 100 percent increase in navigation, according to the World Bank.