DUBAI: Two of the world's largest shipping firms, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, said on Friday they were suspending passage through a Red Sea strait vital for global commerce after Yemeni rebel attacks in the area. German transport company Hapag-Lloyd said it was halting Red Sea container ship traffic until December 18 after the Houthis attacked one of its vessels. "Hapag-Lloyd is interrupting all container ship traffic across the Red Sea until Monday," the company said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani warned on Wednesday against the possible deployment of multinational forces in the Red Sea, which he said would lead to "extraordinary problems," the ISNA news agency said. The area leads to the Red Sea, Israel's southern port facilities and the Suez Canal, making it part of a strategic route for Gulf oil and natural gas shipments.

Source: Manila Times December 17, 2023 02:31 UTC