Maersk, one of the world's leading cargo companies, has suspended shipping through the Red Sea and Suez Canal "until further notice" as it conducts a security review following an attack on one of its ships, which comes amid an increase in attacks on transit ships, reports Economic Truth citing CNN.
As already mentioned, following an attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias on the Maersk Hangzhou, the Danish shipping company initially imposed a 48-hour pause on transit through the Red Sea, which began on December 31st. The attack came just days after Maersk resumed shipping in the area following one of the USA led international naval mission to protect merchant shipping had been set up.
“The investigation into the incident is ongoing and we will continue to suspend all cargo movements through the area while we continue to assess the ever-changing situation,” Maersk said in a statement.
In some cases, the company's ships are rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Other major shipping companies, including Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen Line and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, have also closed the critical waterway because of the Houthi attacks. The disruption to global supply chains has already caused shipping costs to rise and delivery times to lengthen.
Source: APKinform (Ukraine)