Middle East conflict sparks fears for supply chain
A shipping sector representative on Wednesday said the industry is worried about the impact to the global supply chain brought by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "Some customers in Dubai have already asked manufacturers in Southeast Asia to hold dispatches for now as they are worried about the uncertainties," said Peter Hui, chairman of the Hong Kong Shippers' Council. Hui told an RTHK programme that traders will have to make constant changes, such as deciding whether to maintain their production lines or not. He added that the conflict has led some shipping firms to impose an additional war risk surcharge. Tommy Chung, who represents the import and export sector in Legco, told the same programme that he expects overall shipping costs to rise by 10 percent. He added that changes to shipping routes are extending journey times by at least 10 days. Edited by Thomas McAlinden