Ships from the CMA-CGM shipowner have returned to the Red Sea after attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and those from Maersk will do the same, the two shipping giants said on Wednesday. “Certain ships have transited through the Red Sea” and “we plan to gradually increase the transit of our ships through the Suez Canal” – which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea – indicated the French group CMA-CGM in a message to its customers, transmitted to AFP.
Maersk is preparing for its part to “resume navigation in the Red Sea towards the east as well as towards the west”, indicated the Danish carrier on Sunday in a press release, and the first cargo ships will use the canal “as quickly as possible”. Several global shipping giants announced in mid-December to suspend the passage of their ships through the Red Sea, a major trade route, after attacks perpetrated by the Houthi rebels. Many ships had begun to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, in the very south of Africa, embarking on a circumnavigation that made the journey longer and more expensive.
20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal each year
The Red Sea is a “sea highway” connecting the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, and therefore Europe to Asia. Around 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal each year, the entry and exit point for ships passing through the Red Sea. In recent weeks, Yemeni rebels, close to Iran, have increased attacks near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa. These attacks, which threaten to disrupt global maritime trade flows, have prompted the United States to establish a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea.
This operation, called “Prosperity Guardian”, is “good news for the entire sector”, allowing traffic to resume, Maersk stressed. However, “the overall risk in the area has not been eliminated at this stage,” specifies the Danish giant. “We are constantly monitoring the situation and we stand ready to re-evaluate and adjust our plans if necessary,” CMA-CGM stressed for its part.
The American army announced again on Tuesday that it had intercepted numerous drones and missiles fired by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea. The latter, who say they are in solidarity with Hamas in its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip, have warned that they will target ships sailing off the coast of Yemen with links to Israel.