World's largest container shipping company Maersk to suspend deliveries to & from Russia

The world's largest container shipping company Maersk Line may suspend all deliveries to and from Russia, the Danish shipping giant informed on Monday. In a statement, Maersk stated that following the invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions against Kremlin, the shipping giant was also looking into possible suspension of Maersk bookings to and from Russia on ocean and inland. The announcement came with President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine entering its sixth day.

The Danish shipping giant which has been active in Russia since 1992, in a statement said, “(We are) closely monitoring and preparing to comply with the ever-evolving sanctions and restrictions. Our preparations include a possible suspension of Maersk bookings to and from Russia on ocean and inland."

It added, “Our preparations include a possible suspension of Maersk bookings to and from Russia on ocean and inland. We are at the same time keeping a close eye on developments and assessing the best options for our customers and their cargo.”

It also asserted that it would do its 'utmost' to ensure cargo already on the water reaches its intended destination. “It’s also worth noting that air space is also gradually being restricted and our air services will be impacted,” the company said. 

Last week, the Copenhagen-based company stopped accepting bookings to and from Ukraine until further notice. Maersk operates routes to and from the key ports of St. Petersburg, Novorossiysk, Vladivostok, Vostochny and Kaliningrad.

Russia-Ukraine war

For weeks, Moscow massed over 150,000 troops on Ukraine's borders in a bid to pressurise Western nations to not allow Ukraine to join NATO. Ultimately, on February 24, Kremlin, on the pretext of 'special military operation' and with an aim to 'demilitarise', ordered its armed forces to carry out a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine. Citing his reason as Kyiv's failure to establish 'talks' with Moscow, Putin directed the Russian Army to launch heavy missile strikes and explosions across the country. Ukraine has refused to surrender and continues to hold up resistance.

Meanwhile, delegations of both countries met for peace talks on the Ukraine-Belarus border on Monday, February 28. At the discussions, that lasted for over five hours, both sides found some common points on which common positions can be found, Sputnik reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's advisor Mykhailo Podoliak said that a second meeting would be held in the near future.