MOSCOW: French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM said on Monday that it would redirect some of its ships via the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa in response to increased attacks on ships by the Houthis in the Red Sea, reported Sputnik.
“The CMA CGM Group remains deeply concerned about the attacks on commercial vessels unfolding in the Red Sea Region. Accordingly, CMA CGM has decided, in accordance with the clause 10 of its bill of lading, to reroute some of its vessels currently sailing to and from US, to and from North Europe and to and from Asia or Indian Subcontinent via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa,“ the company said in a statement.
The statement added that all other containerships of the company that were supposed to pass through the Red Sea had already received instructions to reach safe areas and suspend their journey until further notice.
A number of large shipping and oil and gas companies, including Maersk and BP, said that they would stop shipping through the Red Sea due to the unsafety of this route.
An increased number of attacks on ships by the Houthis has recently been registered in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, southwest of the Yemeni coast, amid the escalation of the conflict between Palestinian movement Hamas and Israel. The Houthi rebels have said they will continue to prevent the passage of ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea linked to Israeli companies or bound for Israel until the latter’s military actions in the Gaza Strip end.
On Monday, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain would take part in a new multinational operation to secure shipping routes in the Red Sea.–Bernama-Sputnik
