Maersk redistributing ship fuel to ensure supplies as iran war disrupts supply

Maersk Reroutes Ship Fuel Amid Gulf Disruption from Iran Conflict

Impact of Middle East Conflict on Maritime Fuel and Shipping Operations

By Stine Jacobsen and Lisa Baertlein

Maersk's Response to Fuel Disruptions

COPENHAGEN/LOS ANGELES, March 11 (Reuters) - Container shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday it is redistributing fuel to ensure supplies for its vessels as the Iran war disrupts the flow and storage of maritime fuel in the Middle East, where the Danish carrier also has 10 ships stranded in the Gulf.  

"We are proactively redistributing fuel to ensure vessels can continue to bunker where needed and keep our ocean network running without interruptions," a Maersk spokesperson said. Bunkering is the maritime industry's term for refueling. 

Recent Attacks and Operational Pauses

Salalah Port Incident

Drones struck oil storage facilities in Salalah port ​on Wednesday, a security firm and Oman TV said. Oman's state news agency, ​citing an energy ​ministry official, said there has been ⁠no disruption to the continuity of oil supplies or petroleum ​derivatives in ​the ⁠country.

Maersk separately said it paused all operations at the Port of Salalah on Wednesday until further notice in response "to an ongoing incident near the general cargo terminal." It did not provide further detail.

Fujairah Ship-Fueling Hub Attack

Earlier this week, falling debris from an intercepted drone sparked a fire that damaged storage and disrupted operations at the vital Fujairah ship-fueling hub in the United Arab Emirates.

Broader Regional Tensions and Shipping Risks

Strait of Hormuz: A Critical Chokepoint

U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have fueled hostilities that threaten one-fifth of the world's oil, which sails out of the region via the Strait of Hormuz - the globe's most important energy chokepoint.

Container Ships Under Threat

ONE Majesty Incident

While much of the world's attention has been focused on the risk of attacks on oil tankers, some of the roughly 100 container ships stuck in the Gulf have come under assault. They include the Japan-flagged ONE Majesty, which sustained minor damage on Wednesday from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46 km) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, two maritime security firms said.

Its Japanese owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and a spokesperson for Ocean Network Express (ONE), ​its charterer, said the vessel was struck while at anchor in ⁠the Gulf and suffered minor damage above the waterline. All crew are reported to be accounted for, the ONE spokesperson said.

Other Shipping Lines Affected

Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk's alliance partner, has a "single-digit" number stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, a spokesperson said. 

MSC, the world's largest container carrier, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Essi Lehto and Nick Zieminski)