Trendwatch: UN Shipping Agency Says 3,200 Ships Trapped West of Hormuz as Emergency Council Meeting Called; Hormuz tensions highlight a new reality: maritime resilience now runs on data and AI; Maersk CCO outlines Gulf response amid Middle East conflict

UN Shipping Agency Says 3,200 Ships Trapped West of Hormuz as Emergency Council Meeting Called

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) says roughly 3,200 vessels carrying around 20,000 seafarers are currently confined west of the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the scale of disruption to global shipping as attacks on merchant vessels escalate across the Persian Gulf region.

The figures were disclosed in a briefing document released ahead of an Extraordinary Session of the IMO Council scheduled for March 18–19 in London, where member states will discuss the rapidly deteriorating security situation affecting shipping in the Arabian Sea, Sea of Oman, and Gulf region.

Hormuz tensions highlight a new reality: maritime resilience now runs on data and AI

Rising tensions around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz are once again reminding the maritime industry how quickly global shipping routes can change.

Nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves through the Strait, making it one of the most strategically sensitive corridors in global trade. The region’s recent military escalation, combined with continued disruption in the Red Sea, has created a double-bottleneck situation rarely seen in today’s industry.

Maersk CCO outlines Gulf response amid Middle East conflict

A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Karsten Kildahl discussed the impact of the Middle East conflict on global supply chains.

The company highlighted that what began as a regional conflict has disrupted major land, sea, and air corridors, affecting trade well beyond the Gulf.

Maersk reported that approximately 20,000 TEU per week move into the Gulf region, with a similar outbound volume.

U.S. and Mexico Start Preliminary Talks Over USMCA

The United States and Mexico are set to start negotiations on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), ahead of a scheduled review of the sweeping trade deal this summer.

Preliminary bilateral talks between the U.S. and Mexico kicked off on March 16, as the two nations look to address a range of potential issues related to production, rules of origin and supply chain security, the Associated Press reports. The two sides then expect to meet regularly in the days leading up to an official joint review of the USMCA on July 1, where the U.S., Mexico and Canada will come together to decide on whether to continue the agreement, renegotiate it, or end it altogether. 

Ports of Indiana opens Ireland trade office to support new container service and European cargo growth

Ports of Indiana has opened its first international trade office in Ireland to grow cargo shipments and support the launch of a direct Europe-Indiana container service. Maritime trade veteran, Brian Dooley, will lead the new European Trade Office, based in Cork and Kildare, Ireland.

In 2024, Ireland made $32.4 billion of shipments to Indiana, according to the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research, more than triple any other country’s total. However, most of these shipments did not use Indiana’s ports. Ports of Indiana is preparing to open its first container terminal and recently signed partnership agreements with Port of Cork, the fastest growing container port in Ireland, and Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the world’s 13th largest container port, which offers existing liner service to Indiana for general cargo.

US finalizes reciprocal trade deal with Ecuador

The United States and Ecuador have signed a reciprocal trade agreement, finalizing tariff and non-tariff measures first outlined in a framework deal last year, even as the U.S. works to reconstruct its tariff regime.

Under the agreement, the U.S. agreed to apply the most-favored-nation rate of duty to a lew of goods from Ecuador, including flowers, coffee, fruits, spices, gas and certain chemical compounds. The U.S. also said it would provide preferential treatment to the South American country for future tariff actions, a provision that could prove to be important in the near future.

Port Houston volumes up 4% in February

Cargo volumes continued strong at Port Houston in February, up 4% with 4,380,996 short tons handled across the Port’s eight public terminals. That brings the year-to-date total to 8,927,585 short tons, a 5% increase year-to-date.

Container activity remained flat this month, with Port Houston handling 326,799 TEUs in February, bringing year-to-date container volumes to 696,833 TEUs, a 2% increase compared with the same period last year. In the first two months of the year, loaded exports increased 5%, and loaded imports rose 3% compared to last year, reflecting continued demand for goods moving through the Houston Ship Channel.

Air China Cargo ramps up Glasgow Prestwick operation

The service, which operates between Prestwick and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, had been operating four times per week until yesterday, when the frequency was increased.

The service largely carries e-commerce from China, but in the opposite direction, takes Scottish exports such as salmon, seafood and whisky.