MSC says Iran attack on its box ship was 'completely unjustified'
MSC has confirmed that one of its vessels, the 4,800 teu MSC Sariska V, was ...
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Mega-container lines are not alone in seeing their vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US/Israel-Iran conflict.
Singapore-based X-Press Feeders has three ships held up in the strait, impacting the scale of its network operations, according to industry sources.
The Loadstar could not ascertain the specifics of the trapped vessels from available sources.
X-Press is a growing common feeder operator, claiming a fleet of more than 100 ships, ranging from 500 to 7,000 teu. Last year, it announced “strategic collaborative initiatives” with Cosco in an attempt to widen its network coverage, strengthen mainline-feeder co-ordination and improve service reliability.
“Both companies will explore opportunities to co-operate as partners in feeder services across Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, North Europe and Latin America,” X-Press said. Thecollaboration was seen as a major growth push by the regional line.
Feeder capacity for Middle East trades is a hot commodity at the moment, causing pricing mayhem in the market.
With no end in sight to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, it is believed industry stakeholders will continue to explore alternative multimodal landbridge solutions to keep supply chains moving in and out of the Persian Gulf, but questions regarding the speed and costs remain.
All the liner giants, including Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, and Cosco, have containerships stranded in the strait. Two MSC-operated ships were seized by Iranian forces two days ago allegedly making an escape attempt. A CMA CGM box ship was also reportedly targeted by Iran.
X-Press Feeders was already battling a mammoth liability claim from the Sri Lankan government, linked to the 2021 X-Press Pearl onboard fire, said to be the worst-ever maritime disaster in that country.
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