Source: AFP
Shipping giant Maersk said on Friday it would divert all ships around Africa instead of using the Red Sea and Suez Canal for the “foreseeable future” after Yemeni rebels attacked its merchant ships.
The Danish company cited the highly volatile situation and noted that the security risk remains high.
“We have therefore decided that all Maersk vessels due to cross the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future,” it said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the shipping giant said it would not resume the crossing on the route “until further notice” after putting it on hold following an attack on the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou.
On Sunday, the Danish-owned container ship, which was traveling from Singapore to Port Suez in Egypt, reported being hit by a missile while passing through the Bab al-Madab strait.
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It was then attacked by four ships operated by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who “engaged with fire in an anticipated attempt to board the vessel,” the Danish shipping company said.
The US military said navy helicopters sank three of the ships while the fourth escaped.
Since November 18, 25 merchant ships operating in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been attacked.
On Wednesday, 12 nations — led by the United States — jointly urged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to “immediately end these unlawful attacks and release the illegally detained ships and crews,” while warning of “consequences.”
With 12% of world trade passing through it, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Red Sea is a “critical waterway” linking the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean and therefore Europe to Asia.
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About 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal each year, the gateway for ships entering and leaving the zone.
This is the second time Maersk has suspended shipping through the strait.
In mid-December, like other global shipping giants, the Danish company suspended the passage of its ships through the route, following attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
It announced it would resume shipping on December 24th, only to suspend shipping again on December 31st, a week later.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the vital Red Sea shipping lane.
They say the strikes are in solidarity with Palestinians in war-torn Gaza, which Israel has been bombing relentlessly for three months in what it says is a campaign to destroy the militant group Hamas.
Source: AFP