In breaking news, the giant shipping company Maersk announced on Friday that it will suspend all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice after a series of attacks on the Danish company’s ships and other maritime assaults by the Yemeni Houthi rebel group against commercial shipping in the region over the past week.
Key Facts
Maersk instructed all its ships in the Red Sea to stop their voyages through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, following a “serious close encounter” involving the Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and “another attack on a container ship” on Friday, according to a company statement.
Maersk did not specify whether the ships would take an alternate route, which could require them to travel around the African continent from the west.
The company denied a claim from Houthi officials earlier on Friday that the rebel group had attacked a ship sailing towards Israel, according to Reuters, noting that the ship had not been hit.
The Maersk Gibraltar was targeted by a missile while traveling from Salalah in Oman to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, although the crew and the ship reported they were safe.
About 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, including 30% of global container traffic and a value of up to one trillion dollars annually, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Main Background
The Houthi group – a Shiite rebel group supported by Iran in Yemen – has targeted several ships in the Red Sea over the past month, including commercial vessels and ships from the U.S. Navy. The group claims that attacks on ships in the Red Sea are in response to the Israeli conflict against Iran-linked Hamas militants and says it will attack any ships linked to Israel. The United States has been hesitant to respond to the group’s attacks for fear they may lead to a wider regional conflict.
Stunning Fact
A spokesman for the Houthis said on Thursday that the militants attacked two ships of the Mediterranean shipping company – MSC Alanya and MSC Palatium III – because they refused to respond to warnings from “Yemeni naval forces,” according to Bloomberg. The German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd reported that there were no casualties after one of its container ships was attacked on Friday while traveling from Piraeus in Greece to Singapore, according to Agence France-Presse. A Norwegian-flagged oil tanker was struck by a missile in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this week, causing a fire on board. Ballistic missiles were launched at the USS Maron from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen last month after the ship carried out an anti-piracy mission.
Further Reading
Norwegian Tanker Struck By Missing In Latest Red Sea Shipping Attack By Yemeni Rebels (Forbes)
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Editing: Ty Roush
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