Shipping conglomerate Maersk has rolled out a global Emergency Bunker Surcharge (EBS) effective March 25, 2026, citing severe disruptions to marine fuel availability and distribution caused by the ongoing Iran war and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reports the surcharge adds $200 per 20-foot container and $400 per 40-foot on primary headhaul routes (half on backhauls), with higher rates for refrigerated units, directly in response to soaring fuel costs and supply volatility. Maersk's own advisories confirm that approximately 20% of global oil transits through Hormuz; the conflict has stalled tanker traffic, created regional shortages, and forced the company to redistribute fuel from alternative sources at significant premiums to maintain vessel operations. OilPrice.com notes that this has particularly tightened high-sulfur fuel oil supplies in Asia, with key bunkering hubs like Fujairah impacted by Iranian actions, leading to uneven global distribution despite adequate overall stocks. Chief commercial officer Karsten Kildahl emphasized the need to protect trade flows amid these logistical shifts. This event reveals a critical but underreported dimension of modern conflict: wars are not isolated geopolitical events but active stressors on just-in-time supply networks. By driving up bunker costs, rerouting needs, and inland fuel surcharges (extended to Nordic and other regions), these disruptions transmit directly into higher shipping rates and consumer prices worldwide. Mainstream coverage often prioritizes battlefield updates while downplaying these cascading economic signals that accelerate inflation and expose the fragility of globalized trade to chokepoint vulnerabilities. Similar to the Red Sea crisis, the Hormuz situation demonstrates how targeted disruptions in energy arteries create broad inflationary ripples that compound existing economic pressures.