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Shipping giant returning to Red Sea after Houthi attacks prompted 18-month hiatus
Global shipping giant Maersk announced Thursday it was restoring use of Red Sea routes after suspending transit there in 2023 due to Houthi terrorist attacks on commercial vessels.
After the company’s Majestic Maersk ship successfully transited the water body on Monday, Maersk announced it would open a second service to the Red Sea.
“Following the announcement of the structural change of AE15 and the successful transit of the Majestic Maersk through the Red Sea, we are pleased to inform you of structural changes to our MECL service. The service is solely operated by Maersk and will now transit via the Red Sea,” the company wrote.
Maersk suspended service in the Red Sea, which is straddled by east Africa and the Arabian peninsula, in December 2023, after Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen repeatedly struck commercial vessels with rockets.
While briefly resuming service in December 2023, the. company fully shut down Red Sea transit in January 2024 after another Houthi attack.
Monday’s successful transit marked Maersk’s first in over 18 months. The company claimed it “will continue to monitor the security situation in the Middle East region very closely,” adding “the safety of crew, vessels, and customers’ cargo remains the highest priority.”
“Should the security situation change, which may necessitate reverting individual sailings or the wider structural change of the service back to the Cape of Good Hope route, we have contingency plans in place,” the statement concluded.
