Top shipping company Maersk suspends Red Sea route after two more Houthi strikes

One of the world’s largest shipping companies, Maersk, said Friday it was suspending its vessels’ passage through a key Red Sea strait following attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on merchant ships.

“Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and yet another attack on a container vessel today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice,” the Danish company said a statement to AFP.

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced it too was suspending Red Sea container ship traffic until December 18, after one of its vessels was attacked by the Houthis.

“Hapag-Lloyd is interrupting all container ship traffic across the Red Sea until Monday,” the company said in a statement sent to AFP.

At that point, they would make a decision on the subsequent period, it added. READ MORE