Maersk halts stops in Israel's Haifa due to Iran-Israel conflict

Danish shipping giant Maersk announced on Friday that it was temporarily suspending vessel calls in Israel's Haifa port due to the country's conflict with Iran.

Maersk said it made the decision after "careful analysis of threat risk reports in the context of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, specifically regarding the potential risks of calling Israeli ports and the ensuing implications for the safety of our vessel crews".

"At the moment we are not experiencing further disruptions to our scheduled operations in the region," it added in a statement.

The conflict erupted a week ago when Israel launched air strikes on Iran, saying its arch foe was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

The Danish company said it had not experienced any further disruptions to its scheduled operations in the region.

Haifa port, which was privatized in 2022, is owned 70% by India's Adani Ports while the remaining 30% is held by Israel's Gadot Group.

Adani Ports is the ports operating arm of Adani Group, led by billionaire Gautam Adani. Including Haifa port, the company operates four ports outside Indian waters.

A spokesperson for the Adani Group did not immediately respond to Reuters' email and text messages requesting comment.

Israel has been hitting Iran from the air since last Friday in what it describes as an effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and has retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel.

On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. 

Agencies