Situation in the ports of Israel

18.10.2023

Container shipping companies are currently continuing to maintain normal operations in the major box ports of Haifa and Ashdod in Israel, while the war between Hamas and Israel is continuing in a dramatic way with no one being able to predict what's coming next.

"It is difficult to speculate as to the next episodes of the conflict," confirms Corey Ranslem, CEO of Dryad Global, a UK-based maritime risk advisory and security firm.

Ranslem explains, "Israel has troops and military equipment along the border and is poised for a major ground offensive into Gaza. The Israeli military is also dealing with Hezbollah issues along their northern border. If Israel does move by ground into Gaza, I would expect the unexpected."

"It is hard to predict at this point what will happen in the larger region," he told Container News.

At this point, the only restriction we have seen by the ports of Haifa and Ashdod is about the acceptance of dangerous cargo.

"For Ashdod and Haifa, a restriction for acceptance of dangerous cargo has been implemented by the port and therefore we are no longer accepting bookings for dangerous cargo from or to Ashdod and Haifa," said German box carrier Hapag-Lloyd in its latest announcement.

Similarly, Danish container giant Maersk stated, "For dangerous goods, the Port of Haifa and the Port of Ashdod have both issued restrictions on specific items."