Maersk says suspending vessels’ passage through Red Sea strait after Houthi attacks

Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, said Friday it was suspending its vessels’ passage through a key Red Sea strait following attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia on merchant ships.

“Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and yet another attack on a container vessel today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to pause their journey until further notice,” said a statement to AFP from the Danish firm.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack on a cargo ship plying the strait through which a significant portion of the world’s shipping passes.

The Houthis said the Maersk Gibraltar vessel was “targeted with a drone and the hit was direct,” although, according to a US official, the missile missed.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the attack came after the ship’s crew “refused to respond to the calls of the Yemeni naval services,” and that it was intended as retaliation for the “oppression of the Palestinian people.”

As a response to the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have vowed to attack any vessel along the strait that they believe to be headed to Israel.