Shipping giants suspend all journeys through Red Sea following attacks on vessels
Two of the world’s biggest shipping firms have suspended all journeys through the Red Sea following a surge of recent attacks on vessels.
Danish giant Maersk said it would “pause” all container shipments until further notice after a near-miss involving its Maersk Gibraltar ship on Thursday.
Meanwhile, German firm Hapag-Lloyd said it was also halting sailings until at least Monday after one of its ships was targeted on Friday. A spokesperson added: “Then we will decide for the period thereafter.”
It comes following a string of attacks claimed by Yemen‘s Houthi rebels in the Bab al Mandeb Strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea.
The group has vowed to target vessels which it believes are heading to and from Israel, in an attempt to put pressure on the country to stop bombing the Gaza Strip amid its war with Hamas.
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The attacks have raised fears that global supply chains could be severely disrupted if they continue.
The narrow, busy waterway is a key maritime trade route for ships heading to and from the Suez Canal.
At least two cargo ships were hit in the area on Friday, with the Houthis again claiming responsibility.
The MSC Palatium III was struck by a missile, with officials saying it was unclear if anyone had been hurt.
Earlier in the day, a ship operated by Hapag-Lloyd, the Al Jasrah, was hit by an unidentified projectile.
The strike reportedly started a fire on board and caused one container to fall off into the sea.
A spokesperson for the company said no members of the crew had been hurt.
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Houthis seize ‘Israel-linked’ ship in Red Sea
Houthis vow to ‘prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports’
Houthis say they will continue to threaten shipping until Israel listens to their demands.
Rebel spokesperson Brigadier Yahya Saree said: “The Yemeni armed forces confirm they will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the [Red Sea] until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need.”
A spokesperson for Maersk said: “Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and yet another attack on a container vessel today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab al Mandeb Strait to pause their journey until further notice.”
Earlier this week, the Norwegian-owned MT Strinda tanker caught fire after it was also hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen.
Shipping firm Mowinckel said the vessel was carrying biofuel from Malaysia to Italy, but later disclosed it had also been “tentatively” scheduled to make a stop at the Israeli port of Ashdod.
On Wednesday the US Navy said it shot down a suspected Houthi drone which was heading towards one of its warships.
It came as the commercial vessel Ardmore Encounter was attacked by small boats and then by two missiles.
In November, the Houthis also seized a cargo ship allegedly linked to Israel in the Red Sea which they are still holding near the port city of Hodeida.
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Control of Yemen is split between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces, with British military support.
The country has been locked in a devastating civil war in recent years although a tentative truce is currently in place.
Last weekend Israel’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi called on its Western allies to do more to tackle the attacks – and warned his country would “act to remove this blockade” if the threats continued.
Israel has approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified length of time, Israeli officials say.
According to Reuters, the plan includes distributing aid, though supplies will not be let in yet.
The Israeli official told the agency that the newly approved offensive plan would move Gaza’s civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’s hands.
On Sunday, the United Nations rejected what it said was a new plan for aid to be distributed in what it described as Israeli hubs.
Israeli cabinet ministers approved plans for the new offensive on Monday morning, hours after it was announced that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers are being called up.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far failed to achieve his goal of destroying Hamas or returning all the hostages, despite more than a year of brutal war in Gaza.
Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza. Pic: AP
Officials say the plan will help with these war aims but it would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
They said the plan included the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories”.
It would also try to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza.
The UN rejected the plan, saying it would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies.
It said it “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy”.
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More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF launched its ground offensive in the densely-populated territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It followed the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 people taken hostage.
A fragile ceasefire that saw a pause in the fighting and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners collapsed earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian “masters” after the group launched a missile attack on the country’s main international airport.
A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.
“Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Mr Netanyahu wrote on X. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”
Israeli police officers investigate the missile crater. Pic: Reuters
The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.
Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said.
Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.
The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave.
Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.
Iran’s defence minister later told a state TV broadcaster that if the country was attacked by the US or Israel, it would target their bases, interests and forces where necessary.
Israel’s military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.
Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later.
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Yemen’s Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted, some have penetrated the country’s missile defence systems and caused damage.
Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas.
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