Shipping - After attack on freighter: shipping companies interrupt traffic
Following attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, the shipping companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will not allow any more of their ships to sail through the Suez Canal for the time being. A spokesman for the Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd told Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Friday that a decision on the situation would be taken again on Monday. The Danish shipping company Maersk announced that it was deeply concerned about the escalated security situation in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The latest attacks are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety of seafarers.
On Friday, the Hapag-Lloyd freighter"Al Jasrah" was fired upon in the strait between Yemen and Djibouti. "There is material damage on board, the crew is unharmed," said the shipping company's spokesperson. It was mainly containers that were damaged, but the structure of the ship was not affected. The ship was able to continue its journey. The freighter had reportedly sailed through the Suez Canal from Piraeus in Greece and was heading for Singapore. According to media reports, there was a fire on board after the attack.
The German government condemned the attack and is examining a US request for a naval mission. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke of an attack by the Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen. "The German government strongly condemns all attacks on ships, including of course the attack on the Hapag-Lloyd ship," said the Green politician on Friday during a visit to Berlin by Lebanon's acting foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib. "The Houthi attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea must stop immediately," she demanded.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said during a visit to Wunstorf near Hanover: "We are currently examining the request and the options available. But we are not yet at the end of the examination." A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense explained in Berlin that a few days ago the US had asked the German Navy whether it was in a position to provide support in the Red Sea, "without this being backed up with concrete demands".
The Hapag-Lloyd spokesman was initially unable to provide any information on the origin of the shelling of the "Al Jasrah". The Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacks on other freighters, but have not yet commented on the shelling of the "Al Jasrah". Due to the repeated attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea, German shipowners had demanded protective measures from the German government and the EU as recently as Thursday. The German merchant fleet is the seventh largest among the world's major merchant fleets with a good 1,800 ships.
According to the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, the USA is working with the international community, partners from the region and around the world on solutions to counter the threat. "We are building a coalition," said Sullivan at a press conference on Friday. The Huthi pose a significant threat to freedom of navigation, commercial shipping and legitimate trade along a vital artery at Bab al-Mandeb and in the Red Sea. Iran, as the mastermind behind the Houthi attacks, has a responsibility to take action itself to stop the attacks, Sullivan said.
One of the world's most important shipping routes to and from the Suez Canal in Egypt runs past the Yemeni coast. This canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and thus offers the shortest sea route from Asia to Europe. Around ten percent of all global trade passes through the Red Sea.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked Israel with drones and missiles, among other things. They are also threatening to prevent ships of any nationality from passing through the Red Sea on their way to Israel in future. Only freighters delivering aid to the Gaza Strip would be granted passage. All others would become "legitimate targets of our armed forces", according to the rebels.
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
Source: www.stern.de
