Shipping giant Maersk is preparing to return to the Red Sea after Houthi attacks, but risk remains
Photo by Bodo Marks/picture alliance via Getty Images
- Maersk will resume operations in the Red Sea, despite Houthi attacks in the area.
- It reversed its decision to reroute around Africa after a multinational task force was deployed.
- The company said it could still reverse its decision as "risk in the area is not eliminated."
Shipping firm Maersk plans to resume its operations on the Red Sea now that a multinational security initiative is active in the area, the company said in a statement on Sunday.
The company will no longer send vessels around Africa, a lengthier and costlier route it announced last Tuesday as a way to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region.
For weeks now, the Iran-backed Yemen rebel group has been targeting passing commercial vessels with drones and ballistic missiles in protest of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip.
In mid-December, the shipping firm's Maersk Gibraltar container ship was targeted by a Houthi drone strike, though the company denied claims that the ship was hit.
The ongoing turmoil has caused shipping disruption in the area, despite the Red Sea's connection with the Suez Canal, making it the fastest lane between Europe and Asia. Longer reroutes have meant increased costs for carriers, sparking a rise in surcharges.
To address the issue, the US has organized a joint naval coalition known as Operation Prosperity Guardian, aiming to provide security to shipping lanes around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
"With the OPG initiative in operation, we are preparing to allow for vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea both eastbound and westbound," Maersk said in their statement. "We are currently working on plans for the first vessels to make the transit and for this to happen as soon as operationally possible."
Though originally announced as a 10-country task force made up of key members of the Combined Maritime Forces, OPG's start was not easy sailing, as certain states denied participation.
And while OPG has reassured Maersk, the firm also acknowledged that it could still reverse its decision in the future, as "overall risk in the area is not eliminated at this stage."