Denmark’s Maersk said late Monday that it plans to continue sailing more than 30 container ships into the Suez Canal and Red Sea, despite one of its ships being attacked in the area over the weekend. This was revealed in the company’s announced schedule.
But Maersk also said it had put on hold plans for some ships to use the Red Sea route amid the continuing risk of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants, and that it would announce each ship’s itinerary at a later date.
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Maersk on Sunday suspended its Red Sea navigation for 48 hours after Iran-backed Houthis attempted to board the Maersk Hangzhou ship, but U.S. military helicopters ultimately repelled the attack and the militants 10 people died.
In November, the Houthis, who control parts of Yemen after years of civil war, launched attacks on international ships sailing through the Red Sea, saying they were responding to Israeli attacks on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Major shipping groups, including container giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, last month stopped using the Red Sea route and the Suez Canal, instead switching to long-distance routes around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.
However, Maersk announced on December 24 that it was preparing to return to the Red Sea, citing a U.S.-led military operation to protect the ship.
The company said the safety of its crew, ship and cargo was its top priority, and that plans would be updated “on a ship-by-ship basis”, with some scheduled for long-distance routes around Suez and others around Africa.
A detailed comparison of Maersk’s latest itineraries with those announced last week reveals that the company has put on hold plans for at least 17 ships to sail through the Red Sea. New plans will be announced at a later date, the company said.