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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Shipping firm Maersk says it is allowing ships to resume sailing through the Red Sea due to the start of a U.S.-led multinational naval campaign to protect shipping from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Preparing to give permission.
The Houthi attacks have caused major disruption to shipping through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, one of the most important arteries for trade in oil, natural gas, grain and consumer goods between Europe and Asia.
“We have received confirmation that the previously announced multinational security initiative Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) has now been established and deployed to allow passage through the Red Sea-Gulf of Aden,” Maersk said in a statement on Sunday. Return again to using the Suez Canal as a gateway between Asia and Europe. ,
The company said it was working on planning for the first ships to make the voyage “and to bring it into operation as soon as possible.”
Houthis are rebels supported by Iran They captured Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and launched a war against the Saudi-led coalition seeking to restore the government. The Houthis have sporadically targeted ships in the area, but attacks have increased since the beginning of the offensive. Israel-Hamas war,
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The rebels have threatened to attack any ship they believe is headed to or coming from Israel. This obviously extended to any ship container ships and oil tankers Countries like Norway and Liberia are being attacked or flagged drawing missile fire,
Major shipping companies include Maersk which is avoiding the Red Sea and sending its ships to Africa and around the Cape of Good Hope. Analysts say it could take one week to two weeks of travel. The disruption also led to increased fuel and insurance costs.
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