Shipping companies reroute vessels following Houthi rebel attacks

CMA CGM Group, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and MSC have decided to divert their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite higher fuel costs of the much longer voyage.

The move comes as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to launch missile and drone strikes on passing container ships in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The group has launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels, according to the Pentagon, from the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country.

In a statement on Tuesday, Denmark’s A.P Moller-Maersk, which accounts for 15 per cent of global container freight, said “all vessels previously paused and due to sail through the region will now be re-routed around Africa via The Cape of Good Hope”.

“Maersk had approximately 20 vessels that had paused transits, out of which half were waiting”.

According to the BBC, it would take oil tankers roughly 25.5 days to travel via the typical Red Sea route, between Taiwan and the Netherlands, spanning 18,520km.

Detoured tankers are instead rerouting around The Cape of Good Hope, which would take 25.5 days to complete the 25,000km voyage.

French shipping giant CMA CGM previously expressed their “increasing” concerns for vessels amid the “deteriorating” situation in the region, in a statement last week.

“We have been taking over the past days increasing prevention measures to ensure the safety of our vessels and their crews navigating these waters. The situation is further deteriorating and concern of safety is increasing,” it said.

“A such we have decided to instruct all CMA CGM containerships in the area that are scheduled to pass through the Red Sea to reach safe areas and pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice.”

The attacks has also led giant BP to become the first oil firm to halt all shipments of oil and gas through the region, noting “the safety and security of our people and those working on our behalf is BP’s priority”.

“In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea. We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region,” it said in a statement.

On Monday, Houthi rebels claimed attacks on two vessels in the vital shipping lane between Asia and Europe, including the Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic.

The US military’s Central Command said the Swan Atlantic “was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen”.

It said the guided missile destroyer USS Carney “responded to assess damage”.

At approximately the same time, “the bulk cargo ship MV Clara reported an explosion in the water near their location,” CENTCOM said.

No casualties were reported in either attack, it added.

The Houthis said they are targeting ships travelling to Israel, acting in “solidarity” with Palestinians.

But the reality is more complex.

“These attacks have become random and target ships that have no connection to Israel and are not heading to the port of Eilat,” said Eva Koulouriotis, an independent expert, on X, formerly Twitter.

US announces 10-nation coalition

The United States has announced a 10-nation coalition against the missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea, in what US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called a “multinational security initiative”.

Britain, France and Italy are among countries joining the “multinational security initiative”.

Austin said the force would operate “with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity”.

Britain said the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond had joined the task force, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian.

“These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy … and are threatening to drive up fuel prices,” said UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

Italy said it was sending the frigate Virgilio Fasan, while Spain said it would potentially also join, subject to “the decisions of the European Union and NATO”.

Houthi rebels will ‘not stop’

Houthi rebels said on Tuesday they would not halt attacks despite the announcement of the new maritime protection force.

“Even if America succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our military operations will not stop … no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said on X, formerly Twitter.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said the “US-formed coalition aims to protect Israel and militarise the sea”.

A viral video shared to X this week, believed to be created by the rebel group, shows a pilot gearing up for a flight in a jet in a show of force, while Kenny Loggins’ Top Gun theme song Danger Zone plays in the background of the clip.

“Yemen tells America to bring it on,” the video caption by ‘Aldanmarki’ reads.

It comes as top Houthi official has warned that any nation that acts against the Yemeni rebels will have its ships targeted.
“Any country that moves against us will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea,” Mohammed Ali al-Huthi said in a televised interview with Iran’s Al-Alam television.