Overview
- Freight carriers and insurers are steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz, which has pushed up shipping prices and stretched transit times by several weeks for small firms.
- Nichols Farms reported about $5 million in pistachio exports stuck at sea, with some loads routed through Jeddah or Oman while about $3.5 million remains idle.
- Birchbury said a container from Vietnam now costs about $7,000 versus roughly $3,500 before the war, and shipping runs three to four weeks late.
- Businesses are changing tactics to stay afloat, with a Kansas City lawn care firm stockpiling fertilizer and Chicago’s Abt Electronics weighing an end to free delivery as fuel costs climb.
- Logistics advisors urge route diversification plus financing tools such as credit lines and supplier terms, and research warns a prolonged shock could lift consumer prices in 2026.