2023-12-15 19:44:19
After attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, the major shipping companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have stopped their container trips via the route, which is important for international trade. The German shipping company spoke on Friday of a temporary measure until Monday. The situation will then be reassessed. On Friday, two ships were hit by bullets that came from Yemen’s Houthi rebel territory, including a Hapag-Lloyd ship.
“Following the near miss with the ‘Maersk Gibraltar’ yesterday and another attack on a container ship today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the region planning to transit the Strait of Bab al-Mandab to suspend their sailings until further notice ” said a statement from the Danish shipping company Maersk. The recent attacks are worrying and pose a threat to security. The situation will continue to be monitored closely. The company strives to ensure the best possible stability of customers’ supply chains and is taking measures to keep the impact on customers as low as possible.
The US Department of Defense said two Liberian-flagged ships were hit in Bab al-Mandab on Friday. A bullet hit a freighter belonging to the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, causing a fire. In the second attack, two rockets were fired at a ship. A fire also broke out on the second ship. A US Navy destroyer is on its way to help this ship. Initially no one claimed responsibility for the incidents.
The “Al Jasrah” was traveling not far from Yemen, said a Hapag-Lloyd spokesman. None of the crew were injured. Measures would be taken to ensure the safety of crews. “There is material damage on board, the crew is unharmed,” said the shipping company’s spokesman. Containers in particular were damaged; the structure of the ship was not affected. The ship was able to continue its journey. According to the information, the freighter had sailed from Piraeus in Greece through the Suez Canal and was heading towards Singapore.
The attack took place in the Bab al-Mandab Strait between Africa’s east coast and the Arabian Peninsula, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The strait lies on the Suez Canal route and is one of the most important shipping routes in the world. Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have increased recently. The Houthi rebels in Yemen had announced that they would attack ships linked to Israel in solidarity with Hamas, which is also supported by Iran.
The German government condemned the attacks and is considering a US request for a naval deployment. “We are currently examining the request and the options available. But we are not at the end of the examination yet,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense explained in Berlin that a few days ago the USA made a request to the German Navy as to whether it would be able to provide support in the Red Sea, “without any specific demands being made.”
British maritime security company Ambrey reported at least two more shipping incidents in the region on Friday. A container ship flying the Liberian flag, the MSC Alanya, is said to have been asked by the Houthis to change course towards Yemen. According to Ambrey, the Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned MSC Palatium III was also attacked on its way north regarding 23 miles southwest of the Yemeni port city of Mocha. A Houthi military spokesman confirmed the two attacks. An MSC spokesman did not want to comment further and denied an attack on the MSC Alanya.
Just on Tuesday, the Norwegian chemical tanker “Strinda” was attacked by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In the first week of December, three merchant ships were attacked in international waters. Last month, the Houthis also hijacked a British freighter linked to an Israeli company. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and rockets towards Israel, which were, however, intercepted.
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels had threatened to continue their attacks until Israel ends its offensive in the Gaza Strip. The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, said on Thursday that the US government was seeking the “broadest possible” maritime coalition to protect ships in the Red Sea and signal to the Houthis that the attacks would not be tolerated . Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned that the proposed naval force would face “extraordinary problems” and that no one “can do anything in a region where we have dominance.”
Meanwhile, on the way to Somalia, a merchant ship was possibly hijacked by pirates. A Spanish Navy ship was on its way there, according to the EU anti-piracy mission. The coast off Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous waters in the world due to the threat of pirates.
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