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In a statement posted on its website recently, A.P. Moller – Maersk announced that all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope “for the foreseeable future”.
“On 2nd January 2024, A.P. Moller – Maersk announced that it would pause all vessels bound for the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden in light of the recent incident involving Maersk Hangzhou and ongoing developments in the area,” Maersk said in the statement.
“The situation is constantly evolving and remains highly volatile, and all available intelligence at hand confirms that the security risk continues to be at a significantly elevated level,” the company added.
In the statement, Maersk noted that by suspending voyages through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden, it hopes to bring its customers more consistency and predictability “despite the associated delays that come with the re-routing”.
“While we continue to hope for a sustainable resolution in the near-future and do all we can to contribute towards it, we do encourage customers to prepare for complications in the area to persist and for there to be significant disruption to the global network,” Maersk added.
“We greatly appreciate your trust, loyalty and understanding as we work through these challenging circumstances,” the company continued.
On January 2, Maersk revealed that it had paused all transits through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden “until further notice” following a December 30 incident involving its Maersk Hangzhou vessel.
“An investigation into the incident is ongoing and we will continue to pause all cargo movement through the area while we further assess the constantly evolving situation,” Maersk said in a statement at the time.
On December 31, Maersk revealed that it had paused all transits through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden until January 2, following an incident involving the Maersk Hangzhou.
“On December 30, at approximately 18:00 CET, it was hit by an unknown object after passing through the Bab al- Mandab Strait en route from Singapore to Port Suez, Egypt,” Maersk said in a statement posted on its site at the time.
“There was no indication of a fire on board and the vessel was able to continue its transit north. After the initial attack, four boats approached Maersk Hangzhou and opened fire in an attempt to board the vessel. Maersk Hangzhou’s security team, along with a helicopter deployed from a nearby navy vessel, successfully thwarted the attempt,” it added.
“The crew of the Maersk Hangzhou is reported to be safe. The safety of our crew is our utmost priority and all necessary security measures have been implemented to protect them. The crew will also receive all the support they need from Maersk,” it continued.
“As shared in our update on 29 December, Maersk Hangzhou was among the first vessels to go through the Red Sea again following confirmation that the multinational security initiatives, Operation Prosperity Guardia (OPG), had been deployed in the area,” Maersk went on to state.
In a statement posted on its X page on December 31, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) noted that, on December 31 at 6.30am Sanaa time, the container ship Maersk Hangzhou “issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats”.
“The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel,” it added.
“A contract embarked security team on the Maersk Hangzhou returned fire. U.S. helicopters from the USS Eisenhower (CVN 69) and Gravely (DDG 107) responded to the distress call and in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms,” Centcom continued.
“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to U.S. personnel or equipment,” it went on to state.
In an earlier post on its X page, Centcom said the Maersk Hangzhou “reported that they were struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea”.
“The Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned/operated container ship requested assistance, and the USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Laboon (DDG 58) have responded to the ship. The vessel is reportedly seaworthy and there are no reported injuries,” it added at the time.
“While responding, the USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the ships. This is the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since November 19,” Centcom noted in the statement.
Following the announcements related to the Maersk Hangzhou, Centcom revealed in a separate X post published on January 6 that, on that day, at approximately 9.30am Sanaa time, “an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen was shot down in self-defense by USS Laboon (DDG 59) in international waters of the Southern Red Sea in the vicinity of multiple commercial vessels”.
“There were no casualties or damage reported,” Centcom said in the statement.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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