According to foreign media reports, Maersk reported on Thursday, December 14, that its container ship "Maersk Gibraltar" was attacked by missiles near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Picture: Reuters This is the latest attack on shipping in the region, just days after a Norwegian oil tanker was also attacked in the same area.
Maersk said the ship was on its way from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the time of the attack. Fortunately, both the crew and the vessel were reported to be safe, and the voyage continued.
The Maersk Gibraltar container was built in 2016 under the flag of Hong Kong, China, with a capacity of 10,100 TEU. The vessel is managed by Seaspan Ship Management Ltd.
The ship served Maersk's ME2 route from Europe to the Middle East, and at the time of the incident, it was carrying out 405 voyages, involving the common cabin of Hamburg Süd, Maersk, MCC, Seago and Sealand.
"The safety of our crew and vessels is our top priority and we are taking all possible safety measures to ensure they are protected from harm," Maersk stressed in a statement. ”
The recent attacks on merchant ships in the Bad Mandel Strait are extremely worrying. The current situation puts the lives of seafarers at risk and is globally unsustainable. Maersk further said. "As the global shipping industry cannot solve this problem alone, we call for political action to ensure a rapid de-escalation of the situation. ”
After the incident, Yemen's Houthi rebels officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
Yahya Sareya, a spokesman for the Serbian armed forces, said in a statement that "the Houthi maritime forces have conducted military operations against the container ship 'Maersk Gibraltar' bound for Israel." It was targeted by a drone, and it hit accurately. ”
According to CCTV News, the Houthis launched the military operation after the vessel refused to respond to Houthi warnings. The Houthis say they have successfully blocked the passage of several ships bound for Israel in the Red Sea in the past 48 hours.
In her statement, Yahya Saraya reiterated that the Houthis will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from sailing in the Arabian and Red Seas until the population of the Gaza Strip has access to food and medicine.
The UKMTO's Maritime Operations Department (UKMTO) also reported that on the afternoon of December 14, in the Arabian Sea, about 400 nautical miles east of Socotra, a cargo ship sent a distress signal via very high frequency (VHF) and an unknown person boarded the ship. Presumably, the ship could be the Bulgarian bulk carrier "Ruen".
Source: CCTV News.
Located at the southern end of the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, with about 230,000 ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
According to people in the international shipping industry and insurance industry, a number of cargo ships have been attacked in the Red Sea and nearby waters in recent days, and this tension has boosted the war risk rate**, and many cargo ships have also increased the cost of navigation to avoid danger.
Analysts are worried that if tensions in the Red Sea and nearby waters intensify, the shipping industry will be further disrupted, and the international ** chain will inevitably be impacted.
The London insurance market has classified the southern waters of the Red Sea as a high-risk area. Merchant ships passing through this area need to inform the insurer in advance and purchase additional war insurance.
Reuters reported that the insurance market estimated on December 12 that the related war risk rate was 007%, and some rose to 0 this week1% to 015%, some up to 02%。
Some shipping companies have adjusted their freighter routes to avoid the Red Sea and detour around the Cape of Good Hope at the southwestern tip of Africa, but this means more shipping days and significantly more costs**.
The content of the article is compiled from CCTV News, Reuters, foxnews, gcaptain, etc., **Please indicate.