Maersk schedules Suez Canal journeys for 30+ container vessels
Denmark’s Maersk schedules to sail more than 30 container vessels through Egypt’s Suez Canal and the Red Sea despite the Houthi attacks.
One of the company’s ships was attacked during the weekend, causing Maersk to put all Red Sea activities on hold.
On Sunday, the company held back all Red Sea shipping for 48 hours due to a Houthi attempt to board its Maersk Hangzhou vessel.
The Houthi group, controlling parts of Yemen, started its attacks on vessels in the Red Sea in November as a response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
A number of major shipping groups, such as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, stopped using Red Sea routes and the Suez Canal to avoid the attacks.
The vessels would reroute to a longer journey around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, losing billions of dollars in the process.
In late December; however, Maersk said it is preparing to head back to the Red Sea.
The company said that its top priority is the safety of crew, vessels, and cargo.
It also said that it plans to update “on a vessel-by-vessel basis,” with some vessels set to travel the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and others taking the longer route around Africa.
