Maersk Pauses Sailing in Red Sea After Houthi Attack on Container Ship
Maesrk said on Dec. 31 that it will pause all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours. Iranian-backed Houthis attacked a Maersk container vessel with missiles and small boats, prompting the company to pause all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours, Maersk said on Sunday. The crew of the Maersk Hangzhou was safe and there was no indication of fire onboard the vessel, which was fully manoeuvrable and continued its journey north to Port Suez, Maersk said. The attack was the latest by Houthi militants in Yemen, who have been targeting vessels in The Red Sea to show their support for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza.
The U.S. Central Command on Sunday said its forces have engaged with Houthis in the Red Sea after a container ship was attacked by Houthi small boats. The incident was reported hours after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its navy shot down two missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, targeting vessels sailing in the area. " The container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours, reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats. The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU," CENTCOM said in a statement adding that the Houthi terrorists came within 20 meters of the ship and attempted to board it." The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency also said it had received a report of an attack on a ship 60 nautical miles northwest of Yemen's port of Al-Hudyadah in the Red Sea by three small boats on its port side, and shots were exchanged. All crew have been accounted for with no casualties, UKMTO said.
Britain's foreign minister said on Sunday that he told his Iranian counterpart that Tehran shares responsibility for preventing attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea. "I spoke to [Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian] today about Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, which threaten innocent lives and the global economy," Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote on X. "I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks given their long-standing support to the Houthis," he added. The attacks threaten a crucial transit route for up to 12 percent of global trade. In response, the U.S. established a multinational naval task force this month to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea.
Israeli jets intensified attacks on central Gaza on Sunday, residents and medics said, as battles continued through the rubble of towns and refugee camps in a war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would take "many more months" to end. The Israeli military will release some reservists who were called up to fight Hamas in Gaza, a move it said on Sunday would help the economy as the country prepares for a prolonged war.
