Maersk Suspends Transit Through the Red Sea for 48 Hours Following Ship Attack

Shipping and logistics giant A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Sunday that it is pausing its shipping operations through the Red Sea until Jan. 2 following an attack on one of its ships by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The company said in a statement that on Dec. 30 its vessel the Maersk Hangzhou was hit by an unknown object while it passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea en route from Singapore to Port Suez, Egypt. 

Following the initial attack, four boats approached the Maersk Hangzhou, opened fire and tried to board the vessel.

The U.S. Navy responded to distress calls from the ship and was able to sink three of the four boats. One boat managed to flee from the skirmish. The company said that all the crew aboard the vessel are safe.

The attack comes just a week after Maersk announced it would resume operations in the area due to the deployment of a U.S.-led military force, Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG), set up to protect maritime commerce passing through the Red Sea.

The Maersk Hangzhou was one of the first ships to pass through the Red Sea since the establishment of OPG.

Previously, Maersk and other companies, including Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, Yang Ming Marine Transport, Evergreen and BP, said they were pausing or diverting their ships traveling through the Red Sea after a series of attacks on commerce vessels by the Yemen-based Houthis.

The rebel group has targeted Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea since the country launched its war in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks.

The escalating conflict in the region could pose a risk for global commerce as 10% to 15% of all global trade passes through the Red Sea every year, about $1 trillion in goods annually.