Leading German Shipping Firm Criticizes Proposed Toll on Strait of Hormuz Transit

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, the world's fifth-largest container shipping firm, strongly criticized on Tuesday proposed U.S. plans to impose a 20 percent fee on shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, labeling them a "grave mistake." This follows former U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement Monday of a re-imposed blockade on Iranian navigation in the strait this month, proposing a fee to cover Washington's protection costs for this vital waterway. In a statement, the company affirmed that "imposing fees on transit through international waters is fundamentally wrong." The German Shipowners' Association stated that such a measure is not legally permissible and would undermine freedom of international navigation. Its president, Martin Kröger, questioned in a WirtschaftsWoche magazine interview: "Today it's the Strait of Hormuz, tomorrow the Strait of Malacca, and the day after tomorrow the next international strait. Where will it end?" He stressed that civilian commercial shipping should not be a pawn in geopolitical conflicts. Control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for oil and gas supplies, is a key point of tension in the U.S.-Iranian conflict. Iran's de facto blockade of the strait has driven up energy prices and fueled concerns about global inflation. Hapag-Lloyd indicated that while fees to fund major infrastructure projects like the Panama and Suez canals can be justified, this logic does not apply to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies passed before the war. The company, which raised its earnings outlook Monday, bolstered by strong demand, told Reuters it could not precisely determine the financial impact of Gulf tensions on its operations. It added that "the recent escalation currently has no additional impact on our vessel operations," noting it adjusted its sailing network to avoid transit through the strait.