Maersk halts Red Sea traffic after Yemeni Houthi attack on its vessels

Danish company Maersk, which is one of the largest container carriers in the world, temporarily stopped transportation across the Red Sea.

Bloomberg reported this with reference to a statement by Maersk.

"We have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice," the company said.

The reason for this decision was the attack on the container ship Maersk Gibraltar on Thursday, December 14, which was attacked by the Yemeni Houthi militants using a drone.

And today, a Bulgarian cargo ship, heading to the shores of Israel, was attacked in the area. After the attack, the ship's crew stopped communicating.

Maersk said the company's number one priority was crew safety.

At the same time, the company stressed that it is forced to balance the needs of customers and the need to take care of its staff.

Bloomberg notes that over the past few days, militant attacks on commercial vessels have increased. Possible disruptions in the area could disrupt supply chains and global trade.

The agency recalled that the crash of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal in 2021 knocked hundreds of cargo ships off the schedule for several months. This incident resulted in a 20-30% reduction in throughput by several weeks.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in March 2022, Maersk announced the cessation of the purchase of russian oil amid a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation.