Maersk: Middle East has pressing food import needs

The Middle East region has a "pressing need" for food imports that have been disrupted by the outbreak of war in the gulf, the chair of the board of Danish container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Wednesday.

According to the World Economic Forum, Gulf Cooperation Council countries - which include Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates - import up to 85 per cent of their food.

The war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran last month, followed by Iranian attacks across the region and its closing of the Strait of Hormuz, has brought shipping in the gulf to a near standstill, rippling across global supply chains.