Hormuz Rerouting Turns Shipping Security Risks Into Direct Costs

New carrier surcharges taking effect August 1 show how disruption around the Strait of Hormuz is moving beyond a maritime-security problem and into a direct cost issue for global shippers.

CMA CGM said its emergency fuel surcharge would apply from August 1, based on loading date, with charges of $150 per TEU for dry head-haul cargo and $165 per TEU for reefer head-haul cargo on long-haul trades. Its notice also lists lower charges for back-haul and intra-regional services.

Maersk separately revised emergency contingency surcharges effective August 1 on listed Oceania-to-Middle East routes. The published amounts include $900 for a 20-foot dry container, $1,500 for a 40-foot dry container and $1,900 for a 40-foot refrigerated container. Maersk lists different rates for some Middle East Red Sea destinations.

Neither notice represents a universal increase across all shipping routes. The charges are carrier-specific and apply to defined routes, cargo, equipment and loading conditions. Together, however, they show how security risks, fuel costs and rerouting decisions are being converted into prices paid by businesses moving goods.

Rerouting cannot replace a ship one for one

The World Trade Organization reported in May that shipping executives were seeing higher costs, congestion at alternative ports and land corridors, and customs delays when cargo moved through multimodal routes.

The capacity problem is central. The WTO recorded an industry comparison that roughly 70 freight trains may be needed to match the cargo capacity of one container ship. Rail and road routes can keep goods moving, but the comparison illustrates why they cannot automatically absorb maritime volumes at the same scale.

A rerouted shipment may therefore require more than additional sailing distance. Costs can accumulate through fuel, insurance, transshipment, port handling, customs processing and inland transport. The same vessels, containers, rail lines, trucks and terminals may also be displaced from other routes.

The security risk remains active

The U.S. Maritime Administration’s Advisory 2026-004 says risks of Iranian attacks against commercial shipping remain high in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. The advisory says Iran continues to threaten and conduct strikes on commercial vessels and identifies threats including direct missile attacks, armed unmanned aerial vehicles and armed unmanned surface vessels.

The advisory is a security assessment, not a statement that every vessel has stopped moving or that the strait is permanently closed. Its operational guidance shows why carriers and cargo owners must weigh the risk of transiting the area against the cost and capacity limits of alternative routes.

Energy, food and fertilizer supply chains are exposed

The WTO’s July 24 tracker identifies energy, food, fertilizer and other goods as connected to the disruption. It also documents multimodal alternatives that combine maritime services with road and rail corridors. The WTO cautions that its trade-measure list is an informal, regularly updated situation report, is not exhaustive and can include measures awaiting confirmation.

UN Trade and Development reported July 21 that global goods trade was estimated at about $13.7 trillion in the first half of 2026, up 12.5% from the same period in 2025. It said a significant share of that increase reflected higher prices rather than stronger physical trade volumes. The agency linked shipping disruption through the Strait of Hormuz and energy concerns to higher transport, logistics and production costs.

That distinction matters. A higher dollar value for traded goods does not necessarily mean that more goods are moving. Prices can rise because it costs more to transport, insure, fuel, handle or manufacture them.

What the surcharges do—and do not—show

The CMA CGM and Maersk notices establish direct costs for specified services. They do not by themselves prove that consumer prices have increased by a particular amount, nor do they show that every carrier or trade lane faces the same charge.

Businesses may absorb the added expense, renegotiate freight contracts, change suppliers, delay shipments or pass some costs along. Whether those pressures reach consumers will depend on the duration of the disruption, available inventories, competition and conditions in individual markets.

What to watch next

The main indicators are commercial-vessel movements, maritime security advisories, carrier pricing notices, port congestion and the performance of alternative road and rail corridors. Trade data will also show whether the value of global commerce continues to outpace its physical volume.

If security risks ease, some emergency charges may be withdrawn or reduced. If the disruption persists, capacity constraints and higher operating costs could spread to additional routes and goods. For now, the clearest documented change is that a regional security crisis is appearing in the pricing and logistics decisions of global shipping companies.

Sources

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