Strait of Hormuz disruption worst since Covid, Ukraine war: WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) has described the supply chain fallout from the ongoing Middle East conflict as the most severe since the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of the war in Ukraine. Corinne Fleischer, the agency’s director of supply chain, told reporters in Geneva that 70,000 metric tons of food aid have been directly impacted by the hostilities, with shipments delayed or stranded in ports due to disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz.

Rerouting adds weeks to deliveries

“This has a whole upstream effect on vessels being stuck in ports, not berthing at ports, not leaving ports, containers not being offloaded,” Fleischer explained, describing a cascading breakdown in global logistics. She noted that rerouting shipments around Africa adds approximately 25 to 30 days of transit time and increases shipping costs by 15 to 25 percent. Despite securing waivers on surcharges and achieving $1.5 million in cost avoidance, the agency faces mounting challenges.

Hunger projections worsen amid funding shortfalls

Fleischer warned that humanitarian needs are rising sharply. “Our projections are that by June, 45 million more people will be acutely hungry,” she said, cautioning that higher operational costs combined with low funding levels threaten the agency’s ability to reach those in need. She emphasized that the cascading effects of the supply chain crisis ultimately translate into higher food prices worldwide, calling the trend a “big concern” for global food security.