Major company halts shipping in the Red Sea

Danish tanker company Torm has announced that it has halted all transits through the southern Red Sea. Following attacks by Houthi forces based in Yemen on ships passing through the Red Sea, US and UK forces struck Houthi targets during the night.

In a statement shared with an AA reporter via email, Torm announced its decision to halt all transits through the southern Red Sea today. Torm operates a fleet of 80 vessels, transporting energy and clean petroleum products.

Following attacks by the Houthis in Yemen on ships "linked to Israel" in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, Danish shipping company Maersk, the world's largest container shipping company, the Italian-Swiss joint venture Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, French shipping company CMA CGM, and British energy company bp had previously decided to suspend their voyages in the region.

Following an attack on one of its ships by the Houthis, Maersk announced on January 5 that it had decided to redirect all its ships scheduled to pass through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden around the Cape of Good Hope in the near future.

As the US and UK struck Houthi targets in Yemen, American and British warplanes carried out airstrikes on several locations in the Yemeni cities of Sanaa, Hodeidah, and Taiz late last night.

According to reports in the international press, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd stated that they welcomed the international intervention in the Red Sea. Maersk also expressed its hope that a "greater naval presence in the Red Sea" would enable the resumption of maritime trade in the region.

Approximately 12 percent of global trade is conducted via the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and offers the shortest route between Europe and Asia.

News Source: AA