News / Container lines scramble for new trade routes as Gulf strengthens Qatar 'blockade'

Oman's Sohar currently remains open to Qatari vessels and cargo bound for the country

As transport operators serving the Middle East Gulf region scramble to adjust to its rapidly changing political dynamics, German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd may inadvertently have found itself at the centre of the escalating diplomatic dispute.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen, as well as Libya, Mauritius and the Maldives, severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and blocked flights and ocean voyages to the country from its airports and seaports.

However, the recently completed merger between Hapag-Lloyd and Gulf-based United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) ...