The Israeli army's assault on Gaza has reduced the small strip of land that is home to more than 2 million ordinary people into ruins. The indiscriminate killing and wounding of Israeli forces has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, with more than 20,000 Gazan civilians killed in the conflict, most of them women and children. In order to force Israel to accept a ceasefire and allow international humanitarian assistance to enter the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have long announced seizures or missile attacks on all Israeli-associated ships passing through the Red Sea region, and have taken immediate action. Since the Houthi attack, a number of Israeli ships have been attacked, and many shipping giants have announced that they will suspend the Red Sea route and detour the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. (It remains to be seen whether the U.S.-led escort operation in the Red Sea will actually work.) At the same time, the naval attacks of the Houthis in Yemen have not been reduced by the formation of the US-led Red Sea escort coalition. According to the U.S. Command, the Houthis continued to fire anti-ship missiles and multiple drones at targets in the southern waters of the Red Sea over the next few days. Obviously, the Red Sea escort alliance between the United States and the West did not frighten the Houthis, let alone affect the deterrence of US ships in the Red Sea.
The United States announced on the 18th that it would unite many countries to form an "escort alliance" to respond to Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. However, less than a week after the Red Sea escort operation began, the world shipping giant Maersk Group based in Denmark has announced on the 24th local time that it will be ready to resume navigation in the Red Sea. Maersk Line claims that it is ready to resume shipping operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as a result of the re-use of the Suez Canal, the gateway to Asia and Europe, after the deployment of the Red Sea joint escort operation. However, in fact, after the formation of the so-called Red Sea escort coalition, the naval attacks of the Houthis did not stop. According to the U.S. Command, the Houthis continued to fire anti-ship missiles and multiple drones at targets in the southern waters of the Red Sea over the next few days. Obviously, the Red Sea escort alliance between the United States and the West did not frighten the Houthis, let alone affect the deterrence of US ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis have long shown that they are still capable of coping with the so-called escort operations in the Red Sea with the United States, despite the fact that the United States has enlisted multinational navies to carry out so-called escort operations. At the same time, if the United States dares to take direct action against the Houthis, then the Houthi missile and drone attacks will be directed at the US ** ship (the merchant ship of Maersk Line).
Considering the above situation, the resumption of the Red Sea route by Maersk Line may also mean that the United States and the West will increase their escort efforts in the Red Sea. After the Houthi attack, a number of shipping companies said they would reroute routes to South Africa, claiming that they would not consider re-entering the Red Sea until military escorts were in place. "The U.S. and Western convoys may be in place to ensure the safe navigation of merchant ships. However, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have not stopped, and the resumption of merchant ships in the Red Sea will still face great risks. It is difficult to predict whether the convoy will be able to completely intercept the Houthi missile strikes. As a result, Maersk Line said that the resumption of the Red Sea route was only a temporary decision, and the company would adjust the route of the vessel according to the changing safety situation. Despite preparations for the resumption of Red Sea shipping, Maersk stressed that the overall risks in the Red Sea region remain and that the dangers have not been reduced. In the event of an unforeseen situation, the company will not hesitate to reassess the safety of the vessel and its employees and consider abandoning the Red Sea voyage. Maersk's decision to resume the Red Sea route was largely based on shipping cost and time efficiency considerations, as the pressure to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope was too great.
Previously, Maersk Line announced that it would impose a container surcharge on cargo from Asia to Europe to compensate for the additional costs of the increased voyage by the detour. In addition to the cost issue, time efficiency is also a factor. A detour of the Cape of Good Hope would add 9 to 12 days of transit time each way on the sea route from Asia to Europe compared to a direct crossing of the Suez Canal in the Red Sea, with a significant negative impact on some time-sensitive cargoes. The fact that many shipping companies have chosen to divert to the Cape of Good Hope may be related to the fact that the United States has deliberately created an atmosphere of crisis in the Red Sea. The Houthi attacks were originally aimed only at Israel, but the United States has been ignoring the "Israel" point in its reporting, and emphasizing the Houthi attacks in favor of raising concerns among the world's major shipping companies about the security situation throughout the Red Sea. The Houthis have always said they will only target ships linked to Israel. Therefore, this move by the United States is obviously a deliberate attempt to aggravate the situation in the Red Sea, causing more shipping companies to worry and choose to detour. Maersk Line's announcement of the resumption of Red Sea shipping is feasible, but care needs to be taken to avoid getting involved with Israel as much as possible, so as not to trigger a blockade of the Red Sea by the Houthis.
The idea of relying solely on a single security guarantee led by the United States does not seem to be a practical solution. For the Houthis, as long as Maersk's merchant ships do not carry goods to Israel and are identified as they sail, they are likely not to be targeted by the Houthis.