Maersk halts Red Sea transits again after recent attack

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk has again suspended all operations in the Bab al-Mandab trade route until 2 January, after one of its ships was attacked by the Houthis over the weekend.

PHOTO: A Maersk container ship passing through the Suez Canal. Getty Images

Maersk announced a 48-hour halt on all transit through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden immediately after its Singapore-flagged ship Maersk Hangzhou was hit by an unknown object, the company said.

“After the initial attack, four boats approached Maersk Hangzhou and opened fire in an attempt to board the vessel,” it further added.

Following the attack, two US naval ships – USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely – intercepted and their helicopters successfully took down three ships controlled by the Houthis, that were attempting to capture Maersk's vessel, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The feud caused 10 Houthi militants’ deaths, Reuters reported.

“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defence, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews,” CENTCOM said in its statement. “The fourth boat fled the area,” it further added.

Meanwhile, Washington clarified that it does not seek further conflict in the Middle East after US helicopters sank three of the four Houthi ships.

“We don’t seek a conflict wider in the region and we’re not looking for a conflict with the Houthis,” CNN cited White House national security spokesperson John Kirby as saying. “The best outcome here would be for the Houthis to stop these attacks, as we have made clear over and over again,” he further added.

Red Sea turns into a battleground

The Yemen-based militant group has been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023, in response to Israel's rejection of a ceasefire in Gaza. As a result, many shipping companies have had to reroute their vessels, choosing a longer and costlier journey via the Cape of Good Hope.

The southern part of the Red Sea is a much shorter and cost-effective route for maritime transportation through the Suez Canal, which is responsible for about 12% of global trade, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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