Danish shipping company Maersk has said it is pausing all journeys through the Red Sea.
The decision comes after a spate of attacks on vessels launched from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthis – an Iran-backed rebel movement.
The group has declared their support for Hamas and say they are targeting ships travelling to Israel.
The group has declared their support for Hamas and say they are targeting ships travelling to Israel.
“The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the area are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety and security of seafarers,” Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies, said in a statement sent to the BBC.
“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-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice,” it added.
The Bab al-Mandab strait – also known as the Gate of Tears – is a channel 20 miles (32km) wide, and known for being perilous to navigate.
It sits between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast.
It is the route by which ships can reach the Suez Canal from the south – itself a major shipping lane. Avoiding it means vessels must take much longer routes, for example navigating around southern Africa.
Danish shipping company Maersk has said it is pausing all journeys through the Red Sea.
The group has declared their support for Hamas and say they are targeting ships travelling to Israel.
The decision comes after a spate of attacks on vessels launched from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthis – an Iran-backed rebel movement.
“The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the area are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety and security of seafarers,” Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies, said in a statement sent to the BBC.
The group has declared their support for Hamas and say they are targeting ships travelling to Israel.
The group has declared their support for Hamas and say they are targeting ships travelling to Israel.
“The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the area are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety and security of seafarers,” Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies, said in a statement sent to the BBC.
“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-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice,” it added.
The Bab al-Mandab strait – also known as the Gate of Tears – is a channel 20 miles (32km) wide, and known for being perilous to navigate.
It sits between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast.
It is the route by which ships can reach the Suez Canal from the south – itself a major shipping lane. Avoiding it means vessels must take much longer routes, for example navigating around southern Africa.
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