Maersk Suspends Voyages through Bab-el-Mandeb Strait Amid Houthi Threat

Maersk, the world’s second-largest shipping line, has announced a temporary pause in voyages through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait due to the increasing threat posed by the Yemen-based Houthi militant group.

Maersk’s decision comes in response to a series of attacks on ships in the past two days, including a missile attack on the Maersk Gibraltar, which fortunately missed its target.

Hapag-Lloyd has also reportedly suspended voyages through the area until Dec. 18 after one of its ships was attacked on Friday.

“We are deeply concerned about the highly escalated security situation in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the area are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety and security of seafarers,” Maersk said in a statement.

“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,” the statement added.

“Ensuring the safety of our employees is of the utmost importance and our number one priority in handling this challenging situation. We continue to closely monitor the situation retrieving all available intelligence on the security situation in the area. We are committed to ensuring the best possible stability of our customers’ supply chains, and we are working closely with all our logistics teams and are taking steps to minimize impacts to customers,” the statement concluded.

Houthi Attacks on Shipping Could Spark Supply Chain Crisis

The International Chamber of Shipping called the attacks “a flagrant breach of international law” and is calling on navies to further commitments in the area.

“States with influence in the region should, as a matter of urgency, work to stop the actions of the Houthis in attacking seafarers and merchant ships, and de-escalate what is now an extremely serious threat to international trade,” the ICS said in a statement.

“ICS lauds the actions and presence of naval forces so far in intervening against the aggressors and hopes and expects further commitments of the same nature in the very near future. Furthermore, the full maritime security architecture in the region should be brought to bear to end these attacks and protect our seafarers and merchant shipping,” the statement said.

Maersk is also calling for the international community to step up to combat the issue.

“This issue cannot be addressed by the global shipping industry alone, and we urge the international society to come together to find a swift resolution to bring the situation under control,” Maersk said earlier in a post to X.

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