Iran War Causes Fish Import Cancellations

Imports of fresh and saltwater fish and corals have been severely impacted this week due to bombings in the Middle East.

Many flights travel through the region or connect at airports like Dubai, leading to delays or cancellations. 

One major UK importer has told its customers that all flights from Israel have been cancelled until further notice. 

Most Indonesian imports have been cancelled due to no flights being available. 

Vietnam shipments have been cancelled with no flight options available.

Most Sri Lankan imports have been cancelled with no flight options available.

Imports from Kenya may be affected due to the flight path. 

Singapore and Filipino shipments are unaffected at this time. 

What this means for fish shops and hobbyists

Some planned shipments of fish, inverts, corals, and plants are now not coming this week. This means that some shops that use consolidators will now not receive deliveries from certain suppliers and certain countries. 

Wholesalers and their customers will also be affected, with some species becoming scarce or running out of stock if they cannot source them from other countries and receive them on flights that do not directly fly over or connect at airports in the Middle East. 

Sadly, this is not unprecedented, and the UK aquatic trade is used to flight cancellations due to war/missiles in the Middle East, as well as everything from Covid to Ash Clouds.

Some shipments are still expected for the week commencing the 9th of March, but the situation is fluid, and all importers can do for now is offer regular updates to their customers as soon as they receive more news.

Dry goods and equipment are mainly shipped by sea, with fewer disruptions so far.