Shipping Giants Halt Red Sea Transit Amidst Escalating Middle East Conflict
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Global shipping heavyweights Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd suspended Red Sea voyages on Friday due to rising tensions in the region, following a string of vessel attacks in the Bab al-Mandab strait in the wake of Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip.
Danish industry leader Maersk and German carrier Hapag-Lloyd made the unprecedented decision to halt all Red Sea journeys, citing multiple attacks on their ships in the crucial Bab al-Mandab passage.
Yemeni Armed Forces claimed responsibility for a recent missile strike on a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea en route to an Israeli port, preceding the shipping giants' announcements.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, currently visiting the Middle East, asserted concerns over Yemeni threats to Red Sea navigation before the shipping suspensions.
Contrary to claims, Yemeni authorities defended their actions, stating that they merely sought to inspect vessels in their waters and resorted to force after radio messages were ignored.
In a statement circulated by the media, Maersk, among the world's largest shipping entities, expressed alarm over recent attacks, prompting the immediate cessation of their vessels' journeys through the Bab al-Mandab Strait until further notice following the Maersk Gibraltar's near-miss incident and another attack on a container vessel.
Echoing Maersk's decision, German carrier Hapag-Lloyd announced a similar suspension of their voyages.
The Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical 32km channel between Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea, serves as a pivotal route connecting ships to the Suez Canal, constituting a significant segment of global trade. Avoiding this passage necessitates significantly longer routes, impacting shipping operations.
Approximately 17,000 vessels, accounting for 10 percent of global trade, traverse this route annually, pivotal for traffic between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal.
Recent attacks on multiple cargo ships in the strait, including drone and missile strikes, have heightened maritime security concerns.
Analysts speculate a connection between Yemeni measures in the Red Sea and the ongoing Israeli regime's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 operation by the Palestinian resistance movement in the occupied territories.
Anti-Israel Yemenis have previously captured a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea, demonstrating solidarity with Palestinian resistance.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan has expressed apprehensions over the escalating Middle East tensions, emphasizing the necessity to avoid further escalation in the region. He urged increased support, especially from the US, for a new UN Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire, previously vetoed by the US.