UPDATED: Combined Maritime Forces warn ships to avoid Bab al-Mandab Strait – Intertanko
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LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) – The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) has warned all ships to “stay well away from Bab al-Mandab”, tanker body Intertanko said in a note circulated to its members.
“The threat period for shipping is expected to last for several days,” the Intertanko note, seen by Reuters, said.
Meanwhile, Maersk hopes international interventions and a larger naval presence in the Red Sea will eventually lead to maritime commerce to resume through the strait, it said on Friday, following U.S-British strikes overnight against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
“We hope that these interventions and a larger naval presence will eventually lead to a lowered threat environment allowing maritime commerce to transit through the Red Sea and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway,” Maersk said in an emailed statement.
Shipping companies have redirected vessels away from the Red Sea around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope after Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen stepped up attacks on vessels in the Gulf region to show their support for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza.
Hapag-Lloyd welcomes measures to secure safe Red Sea passage for cargo vessels as diversions from the region lead to monthly additional costs for the company in the high double-digit millions, the Funke Media Group reported on Friday, citing a spokesperson for the company.
The spokesperson declined to comment on strikes conducted by the United States and Britain in Yemen in response to militant attacks but said, “We welcome measures that make the passage through the Red Sea safe again,” according to the report.
At least four oil tankers have diverted course from the Red Sea since overnight strikes by the U.S. and Britain on Houthi targets in Yemen, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.
The attacks were carried out from the air and sea in response to the Iranian-backed Houthi militia’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea, in what is becoming a regional escalation of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
