Maersk Reroutes Vessels Around Africa Amid Red Sea Safety Concerns

In response to the escalated security situation in the Red Sea, Danish shipping giant Maersk, the world’s second-largest container shipping line, has announced the rerouting of all vessels previously paused and due to sail through the region. Instead of navigating through the Red Sea, these vessels will now take a detour around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.

Maersk said the decision to reroute the vessels was made to ensure the safety of the crew, vessels, and customers’ cargo onboard. Maersk added that it closely monitored developments and evaluated available intelligence before taking this step.

Once operationally feasible, the vessels will continue their voyages on the diverted routes, Maersk said.

The decision by Maersk comes in the wake of the United States’ announcement of “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” a 10-nation naval coalition aimed at addressing the growing threats to international shipping posed by Houthi forces in the Southern Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden. Denmark is not part of the coalition despite its participation in Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 39-nation partnership. Operation Prosperity Guardian falls under the umbrella of CMF and, more specifically, its Combined Task Force 153, which specifically focuses on security matters in the Red Sea.

CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, MSC, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Yang Ming have all announced similar diversions.

For future vessels planned to sail through the area, Maersk says it will conduct a case-by-case assessment to determine if adjustments, including diversions via the Cape of Good Hope and other contingency measures, are necessary.

“While we remain hopeful that a solution allowing the resumption of using the Suez Canal and transiting through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will be introduced in the near future, it is currently challenging to determine the exact timeframe,” said Maersk. “Therefore, redirecting vessels via the Cape of Good Hope offers a faster and more predictable outcome for customers and their supply chains.”

Maersk acknowledges the potential impact on logistics operations but assures customers that all decisions have been carefully considered and implemented with safety as the top priority.

Maersk’s decision comes as a growing number of ships appear to be taking long route to avoid the Red Sea. As of Monday, at least ten major shipping lines, tanker companies, and charterers had announced the suspension of Red Sea voyages until further notice.

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