The Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders (Amacarga) warned that the conflict in the Middle East will not only generate increases in oil prices and transportation costs, but will also have an impact on agro-industrial products .
“Many of the products, such as fertilizers and raw materials that we use for our industry, pass through there and are being suspended,” said Eva María Muñoz, president of Amacarga, at The Logistics World Summit & Expo .
The US-Israeli conflict against Iran has disrupted international logistics and transportation markets, causing disruptions and suspensions in maritime and air routes. As a result, shipping and air freight rates have increased substantially.
In an interview, Muñoz specified that the cost of fuel for air transport has risen by up to 73% , while maritime transport has experienced increases of up to one thousand percent.
He also noted that airlines such as Lufthansa , KLM , and Emirates have suspended flights in the Middle East, as has the shipping company Maersk , which has halted operations in the area.
“It’s a very sensitive area, and all of this is creating problems for us. Oil passes through there, and it won’t just be an increase in oil, gasoline, and transportation costs,” he emphasized.
Even though the conflict is focused on the Middle East region, the entire global passenger and freight transport system has been disrupted , Muñoz said.
In that regard, he considered that, although a rebound in cargo handling was expected, there is no good outlook for this segment due to the conflict, since a short-term solution is not foreseen.
“This war is going to give us more time, and I don’t think it will help us much, globally, to move forward,” he said.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Evangelina del Toro / @GrupoT21
