As Houthi threats continue, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd shipping companies announce that their ships will avoid crossing the Red Sea

Shipping companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have announced that their ships will avoid the Red Sea due to ongoing unrest and instead use the Cape of Good Hope, starting in February 2025.

Shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd confirmed in a joint statement that their new alliance, the Gemini Cooperation, will bypass the Red Sea and begin using the Cape of Good Hope network in stages, starting from February 1, 2025.

The Gemini Alliance aims to enhance schedule reliability in terms of arrival and speed to 90%.

The two shipping companies announced that they would return to the Red Sea route when it is safe to do so.

This decision comes as cargo ships continue to face risks in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, as a result of Houthi attacks that have been ongoing for about a year.

Since last November, the Iran-backed Houthi militia has been launching drone and missile attacks on cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, claiming that this is in support of Gaza, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli war since October 7. These attacks have negatively affected shipping, trade and global supply chains.

As a result, the United States formed a military coalition led by it, and since the beginning of this year, it has been carrying out strikes alongside Britain that it says target the Houthis’ military capabilities, in response to their attacks on cargo ships, which the Houthis responded to with attacks on American and British naval ships, considering them “military targets.”