Maersk announced that it would once again be pausing its operations through the Red Sea following an attack on one of its ships by the Iranaian-backed Houthi rebel group.
According to The Hill, Maersk said it would pause Red Sea transits until further notice on January 2, opting instead to redirect its ship around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. The company said that its vessel, the Maersk Hangzhou, was targeted by Houthis in attack boats December 31.
The U.S. said that it responded to a distress call during the weekend of December 31 and sunk three Houthi boats, killing ten people, according to officials from the group.
Maersk said that an investigation into the incident is underway, and the company is continuously monitoring the situation.
Previously, the shipping giant paused transits through the Red Sea in December after Houthis began ramping up attacks on commercial boats in late 2023. However, Maersk and French shipper CMA CGM slowly started increasing operations in the region in late December before the most recent Houthi attacks took place.
Houthis have said that they are targeting Israel-based ships or vessels headed to Israel as a show of support for Palestine.
