Shipping Nations Warn Global Trade Is Fracturing

By Laura Curtis

Sep 9, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The armed conflicts, trade wars, and extreme weather events hammering maritime supply chains are not one-offs, but rather signs of a “structural shift” for global trade, 18 of the most important shipping nations warned on Tuesday.

“Shipping routes are increasingly instruments of leverage and risk,” said the Consultative Shipping Group, whose members include the UK, Germany, South Korea, Canada and Singapore, said in a rare joint statement published by Denmark’s maritime authority.

The Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively shuttered after the US and Israel launched strikes against it in February,