Hamburg, DE – June 24, 2025 – Global supply chains are facing a new wave of uncertainty and cost escalation as shipping carriers and insurers react to the recent military intervention in Iran. A detailed analysis of the current market conditions reveals a sharp increase in surcharges for cargo transiting the critical Strait of Hormuz, with War Risk Surcharges being the most significant and immediate new cost.
The intervention, which saw US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on 21-22 June, 2025, has sent shockwaves through the maritime industry, which was already grappling with the protracted crisis in the Red Sea. The Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply and a significant volume of container traffic, is now considered a high-risk zone, prompting immediate and substantial commercial responses.
War Risk Surcharges (WRS): A Primary and Immediate Impact
The most direct and significant new cost for shippers is the dramatic surge in war risk insurance premiums, which are being passed on by carriers as War Risk Surcharges. While specific, publicly announced per-TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) surcharges from all major container lines are still emerging as carriers assess the fluid situation, the underlying insurance costs have skyrocketed. (....)