Maersk suspends Red Sea operations after Houthi attack on its merchant ship

Shipping giant Maersk suspended passage of its vessels through the Red Sea following an attack by Houthi rebels on one of its merchant ships. Maersk said today, 31 December, that this decision is applicable for next 48 hours.

Maersk is one of the largest shipping companies in the world.

The Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and -operated container vessel, which was sailing from Singapore to Port Suez in Egypt, reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

According to the sources, there was no damage reported. The merchant ship was able to continue its transit north.

However, the vessel was attacked by four ships operated by Houthi rebels, which "engaged fire in an expected attempt to board the vessel", the Danish shipping company said.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes. They say they are acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been carrying on a three-month offensive against militant group Hamas.

Considering the prevailing situation, the Indian Navy too has enhanced surveillance in the north and central Arabian Sea and in the Gulf of Aden.

The ministry of defence said that this decision has been taken in the light of piracy incidents and a recent drone attack on a ship closer to the Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The ministry said that the last few weeks have witnessed increased maritime security incidents against merchant vessels transiting through international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the central and north Arabian Sea.

The piracy incident involving the MV Ruen, approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast, and the recent drone attack on the MV Chem Pluto, approximately 220 nautical miles South West of Porbandar indicates a shift in maritime incidents closer to Indian EEZ, a defence minsitry official said.

The ministry said that in response to these incidents, Indian Navy has substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in the central and north Arabian Sea and augmented force levels.

Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident. Aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and RPAs has also been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness.

The ministry said that the overall situation is being closely monitored by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, in coordination with national maritime agencies.

Considering the recent spate of attacks in Arabian sea, earlier Indian Navy had deployed guided missile destroyers INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence.