Maersk suspends Red Sea transits after Houthi missile and boat attack

Iran-backed Houthi fighters attacked a Maersk container ship with missiles and small boats, prompting Maersk to suspend all sailings through the Red Sea for 48 hours. The crew of the ship, Maersk Hangzhou, was reported to be safe and there were no signs of fire on board. The attack was the latest by Houthi militants in Yemen, who targeted ships in the Red Sea to show support for the Palestinian group Hamas.

The attacks have disrupted global trade as major shipping companies opted for the longer and more expensive route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope instead of using the Suez Canal. The Red Sea serves as the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, a crucial gateway for world trade and the movement of goods between Asia and Europe. The United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect ships in Red Sea waters near Yemen, and Maersk had initially announced a resumption of sailings through the Red Sea, but attacks continued.

The Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, with a capacity for 14,000 containers, was traveling from Singapore when it was attacked. In response to the continued attacks, U.S. allies showed reluctance to join the coalition and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Iran to help stop Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The attacks “take innocent lives and threaten the global economy,” Cameron said in a post on social media.

Source .