Maersk suspends Red Sea sailings after weekend attack

Danish shipping giant Maersk said it was suspending all shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until further notice after one of its vessels came under attack from Yemeni Houthi militants over the weekend.

The decision extends a 48-hour pause implemented on Sunday after the attack when the militants tried to board its Maersk Hangzhou vessel. In response, US military helicopters were scrambled and 10 militants were killed and their boats sunk.

“We have made the decision to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until further notice,” the company said in an update to customers.

The Houthi group in November started attacking international ships in the Red Sea, saying it was a response to Israel's assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Major shipping groups, including container giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd had last month stopped using Red Sea routes and the Suez Canal, rerouting instead to a longer journey around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.

But Maersk last week said it was returning to the Red Sea, after the US formed a military coalition to protect vessels.

Germany's Hapag-Lloyd also said it had decided to continue diverting its vessels away from Suez and the Red Sea for security reasons.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com