Lethal earthquake paralyzes Turkish ports, container lines announce operation adjustments

On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Turkey-Syria border, severely damaging LimakPort Iskenderun and forcing the port authority to suspend operations. Maersk and COSO have both issued customer advisories to inform about the impact on their services, with Maersk planning to divert containers to nearby hubs within operational feasibility or hold them at transshipment ports and COSCO SHIPPING Lines suspending all bookings bound for Iskenderun. Both companies have offered free cancellation, amendments, and changes of destination for Iskenderun bookings throughout February, with the exact timeline for normal operation uncertain.