A Singapore-flagged containership, Maersk Hangzhou, was struck by a Houthi missile fired from Yemen on Saturday
Two global shipping firms, Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, have extended the halt to their vessels’ passages through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, citing security risks, according to the companies’ statements.
Maersk initially halted all transits through the waterway for 48 hours on Sunday, a day after its Singapore-flagged containership Maersk Hangzhou was struck by a Houthi missile fired from Yemen. However, on Tuesday, the company announced that it will extend the pause to shipping in the area “until further notice” as it reviews the security of sailing the waterway.
“An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and we will continue to pause all cargo movement through the area while we further assess the constantly evolving situation,” Maersk said in its statement. The company had already halted shipping in the Red Sea in mid-December but resumed travel last week after the US and its allies launched Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) in the region, aimed at ensuring safe passage.
In its Tuesday statement, Maersk said some of its vessels will be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. According to a shipping schedule published on Maersk’s website late on Monday, the company was forced to divert more than 100 of its vessels sailing in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd, which also halted shipping via the Red Sea last month, said it would extend the travel pause, given the “incidents” in recent days, for at least another week.
“We monitor the situation closely day by day, but will continue to reroute our vessels until January 9th,” a company spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.
Other shipping majors, including Evergreen Line and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, have also stopped transporting cargo via the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks. As the waterway is a key route linking Asia and Europe and facilitates roughly 12% of global trade, experts say the halt in shipping there is already disrupting global supply chains, driving up freight costs and lengthening delivery times.
The attacks on vessels in the Red Sea area are carried out by Yemen-based Houthi rebels, who claimed they acted in a show of support for Hamas following the escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian armed group in Gaza.
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