NYN | News
Danish shipping giant Maersk announced today, Wednesday, that the scope of disruptions affecting shipping movements through the Red Sea has expanded beyond trade routes in the far east of Europe to encompass its entire network in the ocean.
In a statement, the global shipping company noted that the ripple effect of these disruptions extends beyond the primarily affected routes, causing congestion in alternative routes and key transshipment hubs critical for trade with East Asia, Central West Asia, and Europe.
Since December 2023, Maersk and other shipping companies have rerouted their vessels via the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to avoid attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea.
At the beginning of this year, Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, decided to impose additional risk charges on container shipments to Israel to cover increased insurance costs due to the security situation.
In solidarity with Gaza, which is facing devastating Israeli aggression supported by the U.S., the Yemeni Houthi group has been targeting Israeli or Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean with missiles and drones.
Last week, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announced the targeting of 166 ships linked to Israel, the United States, and Britain since last November.
Since January 12, 2024, the U.S.-led “Prosperity Coalition” has been conducting airstrikes that it claims target “Houthi positions” in various parts of Yemen in response to their maritime attacks. This has occasionally elicited retaliatory actions from the Houthi group.
With Washington and London stepping in and tensions escalating in January, the Houthi group announced that it now considers all American and British ships to be legitimate military targets.
Source: Al Jazeera
