Since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Israeli army has launched a brutal attack on the Gaza Strip, causing a large number of human and property losses. The Gaza Strip is a small area of more than 2 million people that has been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombing. Even more heart-wrenching is the fact that the Israeli attacks have failed to distinguish between military and civilian populations, resulting in a serious humanitarian catastrophe in which more than 20,000 Gaza residents have been killed, most of them innocent women and children.
In the face of Israeli atrocities, the international community has reacted lukewarmly, failing to take effective measures to halt its aggression and to provide timely relief to the people of the Gaza Strip. In order to put pressure on Israel to stop its assault on Gaza and allow international humanitarian organizations to enter the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen announced a decision that all ships associated with Israel, whether merchant ships or **, as long as they pass through the Red Sea, will be seized or attacked by the Houthis. The Houthis did not shout empty slogans, and they quickly went into action, using anti-ship missiles and drones at their disposal, to carry out a number of attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea, causing considerable losses.
The actions of the Houthis have caused panic in the world's shipping industry, and the Red Sea, an important shipping route connecting Asia and Europe, passes through tens of thousands of ships every year, including some shipping giants. Fearing that their ships would also be targeted by the Houthis, many shipping companies have announced that they are suspending the Red Sea route and detouring through South Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead to avoid risks. In this way, it not only increases the cost and time of shipping, but also affects the best exchanges between Asia and Europe.
In order to alleviate the crisis of shipping in the Red Sea, the United States announced on the 18th that it would unite the navies of several countries to form an "escort alliance" in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships from Houthi attacks. The U.S. says this is to preserve the freedom and security of international shipping and to prevent the Houthis from expanding their influence. However, can this move by the United States really effectively solve the problem of shipping in the Red Sea?
Just a week after the U.S. announced the formation of an escort alliance, Maersk Line, the world's largest shipping company, announced that it would resume shipping operations in the Red Sea. Maersk said it is confident that it will resume shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden because escort operations from the United States and other countries have been deployed, allowing the Suez Canal, an important passage between Asia and Europe, to reopen.
Does the Maersk Group's decision mean that the escort operations of the United States and other countries have been effective, and the security situation in the Red Sea has improved? This is not the case. According to the U.S. Command, the Houthis did not stop their attacks because of the escort actions of the United States and other countries, but continued to fire multiple anti-ship missiles and multiple drones at targets in the southern Red Sea in the next few days. Obviously, the Houthis are not afraid of the escort fleets of the United States and other countries, nor do they care about the deterrence of US ** ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis have made it clear that they have enough strength to counter escort operations by the United States and other countries, and if the United States and other countries dare to launch an attack on them, they will not hesitate to return fire with missiles and drones.
So why is Maersk Line risking the resumption of Red Sea shipping in such a situation? There are several possible reasons for this:
One is to take into account the cost and efficiency of shipping. A detour to the Cape of Good Hope will not only increase the cost of shipping, but also lengthen the voyage. Maersk Group has said it will impose additional fees on goods from Asia to Europe to compensate for the cost of the detour. Moreover, the route through the Cape of Good Hope will take 9 to 12 days longer than the route directly through the Suez Canal, which will have a great impact on some goods that need to be delivered in a timely manner.
The second is to take into account the targets of the Houthis. The Houthis have been emphasizing that their attacks are only aimed at Israeli-linked ships, not all merchant ships. Therefore, as long as Maersk's merchant ships do not have any connection with Israel and clearly identify themselves, it is possible for them to avoid being attacked by the Houthis.
The third is to take into account the escort forces of the United States and other countries. Although the escort operations of the United States and other countries have not completely stopped the Houthis from attacking, it cannot be denied that their presence provides at least a certain degree of protection and support. Maersk may have thought that with the escort fleets of countries such as the United States by their side, their merchant ships would have more security.
To sum up, the resumption of Red Sea shipping by Maersk Line Group is a risky but also rewarding decision. They may feel that the crisis in the Red Sea has not reached the point where they have completely abandoned the route, and they have some countermeasures.