Red Sea Crisis Ignites Global Shipping Earthquake, Mainstream Shipping Companies Suspend Flights for Risk Avoidance

      As of April 1, 2026, the blockade of the Red Sea waterway by the Houthi armed forces in Yemen continues to escalate, Iran strengthens its control over the Strait of Hormuz, and coupled with the deep game of global geopolitical landscape, the global shipping industry is facing a crisis of dual channel blockade. In this context, 19 of the top 20 shipping companies in the world have announced the suspension of operations on core routes in the Red Sea and Middle East, as well as the suspension of new bookings. Only one company has engaged in small-scale evasive operations, forming an industry consensus of "mainstream shipping companies collectively suspending operations". The suspension of shipping this time is not a short-term emergency shelter, but a long-term strategic choice made by the shipping company based on safety, cost, and supply chain risks, which directly triggers a chain reaction in global route timeliness, freight rates, and supply chains, becoming the core variable of maritime business in 2026.

      The trigger for the collective suspension of mainstream shipping companies this time was the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East waters in late March. On March 28th, the Houthi armed forces officially cancelled all "exemption lists" and announced attacks on all ships passing through the Red Sea and related to the United States and supporting countries, deploying anti-ship missiles, suicide drones, and mines to carry out three-dimensional strikes. The number of attacks in a single week exceeded 15, and the risk of merchant ship passage rose to a historical peak; At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard implemented temporary controls on the Strait of Hormuz from March 1st, prohibiting unauthorized vessels from passing through. The monthly traffic volume in the strait plummeted by 94% year-on-year in March, and on March 14th, there was a single day zero navigation. The two major trade and energy chokepoints in the world - the Red Sea Suez Canal (carrying 30% of global containers and 20% of global oil) and the Strait of Hormuz (carrying 20% of global oil and 11% of global trade) - have simultaneously fallen into a semi paralyzed state, and the demand for safe haven by shipping companies is urgent.

      At the specific implementation level, leading global shipping companies have launched separate risk avoidance plans. Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping, CMA CGM, Hapag Lloyd, COSCO Shipping and other top 5 global shipping giants have suspended the passage of the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz, and all Asia Europe, Mediterranean, and Middle East routes have been diverted to Cape of Good Hope; Maersk has explicitly stated that there is no clear timetable for resuming operations, while Hapag Lloyd has stated that there is no possibility of resuming operations in the second quarter of 2026. In addition to the giants, mainstream shipping companies such as Ocean Network Shipping, Modern Merchant Shipping, Yangming Shipping, Evergreen Shipping, Yixing Shipping, and Wanhai Shipping are closely following suit, either suspending new bookings on the Middle East route, or only retaining safe port transfers, refusing to directly sail to high-risk waters. Some shipping companies also force the return of released cargo orders and suspend the collection of special categories such as refrigerated containers and dangerous goods, forming a dual shutdown situation of "suspended routes+suspended bookings.