Against the background of the Ukraine war, the container shipping companies Maersk and MSC have stopped most of the transports to and from Russia. The logistics giant Deutsche Post DHL will no longer send any express shipments or freight to Russia until further notice.
airspace closure
A DHL spokesman on Tuesday in Bonn cited the blocking of airspace as the reason. Shipments to Belarus are also affected. DHL had previously suspended transport for the Ukraine due to the war there. Competitor UPS has also taken this step. Express shipments are particularly important for companies when spare parts or documents need to get to their destination quickly.
Letters, parcels and packages that are handed in at the post office in Germany should be transported further to the States – this is done within the framework of the international obligations of the Universal Postal Union, of which Deutsche Post is also a member. In the future, mail from Germany will only come to Russia and the Ukraine overland.
Groceries are excluded
“Since the stability and safety of our operations are already being directly and indirectly affected by the sanctions, new Maersk sea and land bookings to and from Russia will be temporarily suspended,” the Copenhagen-based Maersk said on Tuesday.
Food, medical and humanitarian supplies are excluded. Maersk had already announced a booking freeze for Ukraine on Thursday.
Booking blocks for Russia and Ukraine
The MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company also announced a temporary halt to all freight bookings to and from Russia in a notice to its customers on Tuesday, effective immediately. This includes all access areas including the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Far East of Russia. “MSC will continue to accept and review bookings for the delivery of essential supplies such as food, medical equipment and humanitarian supplies,” it said.
MSC and Maersk are by far the two largest container shipping companies. In total, they have a good third of the world’s transport capacity.
The Hamburg shipping company Hapag-Lloyd also decided last week to temporarily freeze bookings for Russia and Ukraine.
Russian ships are no longer allowed to enter British ports
Russian ships will no longer be allowed to enter British ports. “We have just become the first nation to pass legislation that would include a total ban on all ships with any Russian connection from calling at British ports,” Britain’s Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, tweeted on Tuesday. Call on other countries to follow this example. In cooperation with the EU and the US, London had previously launched far-reaching sanctions aimed primarily at the Russian financial sector. Russian planes are also no longer allowed to land in the EU and Great Britain. (dpa)