Maersk to suspend Red Sea transportation due to pirate attacks

The world leader in container shipping and port management (ranked second in terms of fleet size), the Danish shipping and logistics company Moller-Maersk Group, has decided to suspend transportation through the Red Sea due to attacks by Yemeni Houthis.

Source. It was reported by Bloomberg.

"Following yesterday's incident with the Maersk Gibraltar and another attack on a container ship today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area that are scheduled to pass through the Bab el-Mandeh Strait to suspend operations until further notice," the agency quoted the company as saying.

The company emphasized that its priority is the safety of its crews, so Maersk is forced to strike a balance between the needs of customers and the need to take care of its staff.

Yemen is located on the coast of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is an extremely important trade route for world trade. The strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, is home to 12% of merchant ships and carries about 10% of all oil transported by sea. Every year, about $1 trillion worth of goods pass through the strait.

The Yemeni Houthis were the only Hamas allies who truly joined the terrorists in the war against Israel. Removed from Israel by almost 2,000 kilometers, the Houthis tried to hit Israel with missiles, but when this tactic proved ineffective, they turned to piracy.

By the end of November, the Houthis decided to try a new war tactic: a blockade of the Red Sea, which is the route through which trade routes connecting the Jewish state with East Asia pass.

The movement's militants said that they would consider any civilian vessels flying the Israeli flag or vessels owned by Israeli companies a legitimate target.

On November 19, they seized the carrier ship Galaxy Leader, whose operator, Ray Shipping, is owned by Israeli citizen Rami Ungar.

The Houthis then carried out several more attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea. Earlier, the group reported that attempts to prevent them from fighting against Israel by Saudi Arabia or the UAE would threaten to destroy the oil industries of these states, which in turn would lead to fuel shortages.