MSC Clarifies: Activity in Israel Continues as Usual; Bookings Suspended in Gulf

The world's largest shipping giant, MSC, clarified today (Monday) that operations on trade routes calling at Israeli ports are continuing as usual, with no change in the status of bookings. The service for Israeli importers and exporters at the ports of Haifa and Ashdod remains stable and fully active.

This clarification comes following a global announcement issued by the company's management in Geneva, which caused some confusion among customers in Israel. According to the announcement, MSC declared a temporary suspension of new bookings to the Middle East region; however, in the geographical classification of the shipping industry, this definition refers exclusively to the ports of the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the passages in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, which are experiencing security disruptions.

Israeli ports, by contrast, are categorized by MSC under the "East Med" (East Mediterranean) region, and therefore they are not included under the new booking restrictions, and activity within them has not been affected by these directives at all.

The global MSC decision to instruct ships in the Gulf region to wait in sheltered areas is intended to maintain the safety of crews and cargo in that specific arena. This comes against the backdrop of the "Lion's Roar" war that broke out last Saturday and the continuous barrages launched by Iran toward its neighbors. It should be noted that as a result, the Port of Jebel Ali was shut down and only returned to full operation this morning.

As stated, regarding Israel, the company continues to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the authorities, but emphasizes that operational continuity and commitment to the Israeli market are maintained without change.