Many traders in Mayotte are directly impacted by the war in the Middle East: those who import containers of clothes or sheets from Dubai. As the wedding season approaches quickly, the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz is still blocked by Iran. Even for ships that left after the conflict began with the United States and Israel on February 28, these professionals are facing difficulties in getting their containers out of the port of Longoni.
To obtain approval from customs, they must present documents provided by their forwarders in the United Arab Emirates. Complicated with the ongoing conflict, Emirati administrative services are at a standstill due to the numerous Iranian strikes. As of March 19, 1,700 Iranian drones have targeted the country, compared to between 500 and 550 for Saudi Arabia and Israel, between 210 and 310 for Bahrain, and around 70 for Qatar, according to Danish risk consultancy firm Risk Intelligence cited by Le Monde.
If CMA-CGM has imposed a fuel surcharge, it only applies to ships rerouted since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In a letter to its partners, the shipowner specifies that these additional costs do not affect the overseas territories. The Mayotte business community hopes that by April 1, they will be told that all this was a bad joke, and instead they will have to deal with the new price caps on fuel products set monthly by the prefecture. The price increase could be temporarily regulated by mobilizing part of the strategic fuel stock, suggested Bourahima Ali Ousseni, president of the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Mayotte.
The impact is being felt in air transport as well: Air Austral, Air France, its subsidiary KLM, Corsair, and several other companies have already announced an increase in ticket prices. For example, Air France has announced a 50 euro increase for a round-trip economy class ticket on a long-haul flight. The French airline group has also announced on Tuesday the extension of the suspension of its flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until March 31, while those to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut are suspended until April 4.
