China Ocean Shipping Company (Cosco) suspended shipping to and from Qatar yesterday (Wednesday).
“As far as onboard Qatar shipments are concerned, we will try our best to transit them to Hamad [port in Qatar] but with huge uncertainty in delivery time,” said a Cosco spokesperson.
The shipping line also said that it reserved the right to declare Force Majeure – which would partially absolve the company from its legal obligations to deliver cargo to its port of destination – and deliver the cargo at a “safe and convenient” port nearby.
This, it stated, was due to the uncertain situation presented by the ban on the movement of ships to and from Qatar by The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Mauritius, Mauritania and the Maldives.
The company spokesperson added that they were currently working on a contingency plan for delivering cargo to and from the country.
