Container shipping giant, Maersk, has announced it will divert all vessels around Africa instead of using the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for the “foreseeable future”.
Maersk said, on Friday, it took the decision due to the volatile situation in the Red Sea. This is as Yemen’s Houthis continue to attack vessels that pass through the busy waterway.
“We have, therefore, decided that all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden will divert south. Thai is around the Cape of Good Hope. This is for the foreseeable future,” the Danish company said.
The trip around Africa can add about 10 days to journey times. And it requires more fuel and crew time, increasing shipping costs.
“The situation is constantly evolving and remains highly volatile. And all available intelligence at hand confirms that the security risk continues to be at a significantly elevated level.”
The Houthis have said they are targeting vessels linked to Israel in the Red Sea shipping lane in solidarity with Palestinians who are facing relentless bombardment in the ongoing war on Gaza.
On Tuesday, Maersk said it would pause all vessels that would cross through the Red Sea.
This is following an attack on one of its ships, the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, by Houthis. And it has since begun redirecting ships.
The company also rerouted four out of five southbound container vessels already passing through the Suez Canal back north for the long journey around Africa on Thursday.
“While we continue to hope for a sustainable resolution shortly and do all we can to contribute towards it, we do encourage customers to prepare for complications in the area to persist and for there to be significant disruption to the global network,” Maersk said.
Since November, Houthis have attacked at least 25 commercial vessels operating in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. (Al Jazeera)
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