Maersk Suspends New Bookings to Berbera Port Amid Unclear Scheduling Changes

GOOBJOOG NEWS|BERBERA: Global shipping giant Maersk has temporarily stopped accepting new cargo bookings to and from Port of Berbera, citing unspecified scheduling changes in a notice issued on April 20.
The company said the suspension takes effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice, but did not provide a timeline for resumption or explain the cause of the disruption.
Maersk stated that cargo already in transit to Berbera would still be delivered as planned. It added that its services to Djibouti, Mogadishu and Mombasa remain operational and available to support customers requiring alternative logistics routes.
The move is significant for Berbera, which has positioned itself in recent years as a strategic Red Sea trade hub and an important gateway for cargo destined for landlocked Ethiopia.
While Maersk did not state the reasons behind the suspension, the announcement comes amid continued volatility in regional maritime routes linking the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and wider Middle East shipping lanes. Industry observers have noted that disruptions affecting vessel scheduling across the region can have ripple effects on smaller ports.
There is no official indication that the decision is directly linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, though the waterway remains one of the world’s most sensitive energy and shipping corridors.
The temporary halt may raise fresh questions over supply chains serving Somaliland and Ethiopia, both of which have increasingly looked to Berbera as an alternative to Djibouti for imports and exports.