Shipping Lines Cut Mideast Routes Posing Risk to Trade Flows

The world’s largest container carriers are rerouting ships to avoid the Persian Gulf, as a widening military conflict pitting the US-Israeli alliance against Iran threatens to disrupt global merchandise trade.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co., the top container line, halted cargo bookings for the Middle East while No. 2 A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S and Hapag-Lloyd AGsuspended all crossings in the Strait of Hormuz.

DP World earlier suspended operations at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, according to a notice sent to customers and seen by Bloomberg on Sunday. The company later said all four of its terminals were operational.