Shipment Update: Global Freight Blockage, Slower Alternative Routes and Shipping Delays

At HSBE, we take due pride in our century-long history of delivering high-standard experience our customers. Whether it comes to item quality or aftersales service or delivery processes, we input our outmost efforts to maintain & excel our services in all regard as we believe a happy customer is the most valuable asset.

We are currently witnessing an unprecedented era of geopolitical volatility. The escalating situation post Op Epic Fury has led to a critical freight blockage in both maritime and ariel frieghts especially since the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, and complete blockage of air frieght via middle east, two of the most primary arteries for global commerce. With maritime & ariel cargo traffic halted and war risk insurance effectively withdrawn for the region, the international supply chain crisis has reached a point of chronic volatility.

As HSBE is Forge to Fist (manufacturer) entity and whatever we sold is made by us, regular batches of stock in flow freights are delivered at our various warehouses world wide. Because of the extent of diveristy of our product list, its a normal practice that products (either completely or at variant level) are in back ordered at regular intervals. The same is situation now that certain products (as a whole or specific variants) are currently back ordered but due to blockage of traditional freight channels, we are experiencing unprecedented delay in receiving back ordered stock which definitely impacts our ability to fulfill existing orders of those products/variants.
While we continue to manufacture at full capacity ensuring no lag is from our end, the total halt of traditional freight channels means we are experiencing an unprecedented delay in receiving back-ordered stock at our warehouse. This disruption directly impacts our ability to fulfill a few existing orders for these items, as the maritime & areil blockade has rendered standard logistics nearly impossible.
Despite these supply chain disruptions, we are actively are pursuing & utilizing secure freight alternatives to bypass these disruptions. However, despite being an expensive alternative, the overload (since everyone wants to use these channels) and limited capacity issues of these alternative facilities result in slower processing and transit, in addition to existing longer transit times because of the longer length of routes.
While the maritime & ariel blockade has rendered traditional routes impassable, our logistics team is working tirelessly to secure resilient supply chain solutions. We are currently:

• Prioritized Air Cargo Freight: We are aggressively bidding for premium air cargo space. Though air corridors are congested and costs have surged, we view this as a necessary investment to honor your trust.

• Exploring Multimodal Rerouting: Our partners are evaluating overland and rail-sea hybrid routes to bypass the maritime chokepoints and maintain flow from our international hubs.

• Navigating Emergency Surcharges: Despite the imposition of Emergency Conflict Surcharges (ECS) and spikes in bunker adjustment factors, we are absorbing as much of the fiscal impact as possible to protect the value of your purchase.

Because of the total halt of freights worldwide in these high-risk zones, we anticipate a delivery extension of approximately 14–21 days for those products/variants. This shipping delay is a direct result of vessel rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope and the necessity of securing safer, albeit slower, passage.
However, if the situation gets better any time sooner, within 48hrs all back ordered shipments will reach us and we will work with our team to fulfill all affected orders within 24hrs of receiving shipment. 

We thank you for your profound patience and for standing with us as we navigate these complex global currents. For rest of other items, normal frieght time as listed on our website stands positive. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.