Cherbourg, France: While Britain's exit is expected to have an limited overall impact on the EU, offshore fishermen based in northern France face the grim prospect of losing access to their best waters.
If the yet to be negotiated Brexit terms mean French fishermen must stay out of British waters "one might as well sell the ship", said Xavier Perrotte, the second in command of the Remember, a 23-metre (75-foot) trawler.
The Remember with its eight-man crew sails the roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) from its home port of Cherbourg in Normandy to waters off the English coast where it pulls in half of its catch.
France's national fishermen's association has already warned the government that Brexit could "very strongly impact" the Brittany, Normandy and northern regions.
Not all fishermen will be impacted, however.
Ships less than 12 meters rarely leave French territorial waters, except in the narrowest parts of the Channel, and they make up 80 percent of the national fleet according to official data.
But according to catch, the big boats play a big role.
At Cherbourg, big trawlers account for two-thirds of the fish landed.
Worries are acute in ports where large trawlers dock, particularly in Boulogne-sur-mer, France's top fishing port that hosts ships as long as 50 meters.
"If tomorrow we lose our historical access to British waters, that will sound the end of French fishing in Boulogne — the impact will be enormous," said Bruno Margolle, head of the CME regional fishing cooperative.
In the neighboring Calais region where the Channel narrows to as close as 28 kilometers, they are "very worried", said Olivier Lepretre, president of the local fishing council.
"If the British close their waters, we will lose important fishing grounds that account for 70 percent of our catch," he said.
Even where the Channel is wider, French trawlers could lose a lot: Currently they can sail as close as six nautical miles (11 kilometers) to the British coast, while British ships can't fish closer than 22 kilometers to the French coast.
Sebastien Sagot, owner of a 24-meter trawler based at Treport, worries about a "big drop in revenues" if he can no longer fish in British waters.
Fishing further out in the North Sea would cost more in fuel and often requires different equipment, some of which is not authorized in French waters.
"There is no fallback solution," said Jean-Pierre Le Visage, director of Scapeche, operator of France's largest commercial fishing fleet.
"It is too early to say if the consequences will be horrendous" but "if British waters are closed then we will lose 70 to 80 percent of our volumes" he said.
Le Visage said that at the Brittany port of Lorient, its main base, some 9,500 out of the 11,000 tons of fish it landed there were caught in British waters.
Across the region, fishermen hope the negotiations on Britain's EU exit result in a reasonable deal.
Those hopes are largely based on the need of Britain to sell its catch in European markets.
"There are products that the British fish but don't eat, and the base tariff to get into the European market is 24 percent," said Richard Brouzes, who heads up the fishermen association in Normandy.
"The idea is to say to them: 'You get access to our markets, we get access to your waters'".
French fishermen may get caught in Brexit net
French fishermen may get caught in Brexit net
Maersk latest shipping firm to halt Gulf cargo bookings as Iran conflict pushes up insurance costs
JEDDAH: Danish shipping giant Maersk has suspended cargo bookings to and from several Gulf markets in light of the war in Iran, becoming the latest logistics company to reassess its operations in the region.
The firm has halted new business related to the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar, as well as Iraq, Bahrain, parts of Saudi Arabia and most ports in Oman “until further notice” after a fresh risk assessment.
In a statement, Maersk added that “exceptions will be made for critical foodstuff, medicine and other essential goods,” and the measure does not apply to Jordan and Lebanon. Two of its vessels are currently in the Gulf.
This comes as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on March 5 that passage through the critical transit passage of the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iranian control during wartime and claimed a US tanker had been hit in the northern Gulf, though there was no immediate independent confirmation of the incident.
The strait is a critical transit route for roughly 20 percent of global crude oil shipments and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas.
Khaled Ramadan, an economist and head of the International Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo, said oil and gas transit through Hormuz could fall by as much as 80 percent if tensions intensify, driving up prices and creating shortages.
“This crisis will also hamper global trade by escalating freight and insurance costs, forcing vessel rerouting, and causing widespread supply chain delays, particularly for oil-dependent economies,” he told Arab News.
Hapag-Lloyd said on March 5 it would implement contingency procedures for cargo already in transit to and from the Upper Gulf after suspending all shipments to and from the area.
The company said vessels may be diverted to contingency ports or held in safe waters for shipments linked to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, as well as Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman and Yemen.
Chinese shipping line COSCO Shipping has halted new container bookings to multiple Gulf ports following traffic restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, while Mediterranean Shipping Co. has announced the end of a voyage.
In a statement on March 3, MSC said: “In light of the ongoing situation in the Middle East, MSC regrets to inform you that it is compelled to declare an End of Voyage for all shipments currently under MSC’s custody and care, whether located ashore or at sea, and destined for ports in the Arabian Gulf.”
It added that all shipments already en route will be diverted to the nearest safe port, with a mandatory $800 surcharge per container to cover deviation costs.
MSC later said Gulf-bound cargo would be offloaded at the closest safe seaport amid ongoing hostilities following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
CMA CGM has also introduced emergency measures for Gulf-bound vessels, prioritizing the safety of crews, ships, and cargo.
APM Terminals Bahrain declared force majeure at Khalifa Bin Salman Port, saying regional security conditions were disrupting port operations and that the duration of the disruption remained uncertain.
Insurance providers have also reduced Gulf exposure. Reuters reported that Angus Blayney of Gallagher said London insurers were still offering cover, but at sharply higher premiums depending on cargo, vessel type and route.
Separately, the agency reported that insurance broker Marsh McLennan said it had met US officials to explore ways to restore maritime trade as escalating fighting threatens energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
