Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk will wind down its operations in Sryia effective 1 December, according to a press release. The company will no longer offer shipments to or from any destination in Syria. Maersk currently has offices in Damascus, Lattakia, and Tartous, and port operations at Latakia, according to their website.

The details: The last Maersk ship to call to Syria will be Maersk Normada on 28 November. The company will be honoring any existing commitments and bookings that have already been assigned, the statement said.

The rationale: Sanctions on Syria have meant that the carrier’s operations in the country were already restricted, the statement explained. “This has recently become even more challenging logistically,” the company said, prompting it to exit the country completely.

Background: Syria has been under sanction by the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia and Switzerland since 2012, according to an EU statement. Updates to expand international sanctions to include a wider range of Syrian government officials and pro-government businesses were made in April, according to another EU statement.

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