The maritime transport groups Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced this Friday the temporary suspension of navigation through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea after Several ships have been attacked off the coast of Yemen in recent days.
“Houthi attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea must stop immediately,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Friday claimed responsibility for attacks on several ships in the Red Sea. They threaten Israel’s security and international maritime transport, the official said.
A spokesperson for the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, Nils Haupt, confirmed by telephone to EFE that given the situation, the decision was adopted today and will be in force until next Monday, when it will be reviewed again.
Hapag-Lloyd had earlier reported that one of its cargo ships, the Al Jasrah, was attacked in the waters of the Red Sea, amid a wave of attacks by Houthi rebels and Somali pirates on the strategic trade route.
The company said there were no injuries and the ship continued on course while a crisis cabinet was convened to address the situation.
The Liberian-flagged Al Jasrah is on its way to Singapore, where it left the Greek port of Piraeus, according to data from the tracking portal Marinetraffic.
Maersk also suspended navigation
Shortly before, Denmark’s Maersk, the world’s largest maritime freight company, had announced a similar decision.
“Following the Maersk Gibraltar incident yesterday and a new attack today on a cargo ship, we have instructed ships in the area en route to the Bab al Mandeb Strait to temporarily suspend navigation and await instructions,” the statement said. group in a message. statement to the media.
The Maersk Gibraltar was the target of a rocket attack on Thursday, which the Danish group said did not hit.
A Sydbank analyst, Mikkel Emil Jensen, noted that if other shipping companies made similar decisions, the impact on freight rates and delivery times could be significant.
“This will mean that we could have a Suez Canal 2.0 with higher tariffs, longer delivery times and less delivery reliability,” he said in statements quoted by Danish agency Ritzau.
In recent days there have been attacks by Houthi rebels, threatening all ships originating from or destined for Israel, off the coast of Yemen. (JO)
Source: Eluniverso
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