Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd again pull vessels from Red Sea route

A P Moller-Maersk has stopped its vessels from using the Red Sea cargo route to the Suez Canal “until further notice” following an attempted attack on one of its ships at the weekend. Maersk said it would reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope “where it makes most sense for our customers”.

German shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd has also paused all transits using the Red Sea route until at least 9 January, rerouting vessels around the longer and costlier Cape of Good Hope route.

Maersk Hangzhou came under threat of attack from Houthi militants on Sunday before US military intervened. Maersk said it is still investigating the incident and, after an initial 48 hour pause, will now avoid the Red Sea route and reschedule planned transits.

“We will continue to pause all cargo movement through the area while we further assess the constantly evolving situation,” the Danish shipping firm said.

Disruption to transits will inevitably cause issues with supply chains. “We remain committed to minimising the impact on our customers’ supply chains and will continue to keep you updated on the situation,” Maersk said.

Maersk said on 29 December that it would resume transits in the Red Sea/Suez Canal region after international security forces set up Operation Prosperity Guardian, led by the US, to protect commercial ships. But Maersk Hangzhou, which was one of the first vessels to use the Red Sea again after Maersk pulled out of the route on 15 December, was struck after it passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the vessel was fired upon as rebels attempted to board.