Maersk suspends Red Sea trips a day after Houthis attack the ship

Zvi Schreiber, CEO of Freightos, comments on the “Claman Countdown” on dealing with the attacks on the Red Sea and rerouting some ships.

Denmark-based shipping giant Maersk said on Sunday it would again suspend all transits through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden after one of its ships was attacked by Houthi rebels on Saturday.

The announcement comes just a week after Maersk officials said they would resume routes through the area that were suspended because of similar attacks.

Maersk said routes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait were disrupted in early December because of attacks on its ships, and the Suez Canal, heavily transited by ships from around the world, had become unstable on most routes.

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On December 19, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that ships and aircraft from several nations would join the U.S. in conducting surveillance and defense measures against Houthi rebels attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, in what was described as an “operation.” becomes wealth guardian.

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Huge gantry cranes and unloading freighters in Haifa container port, Israel. (Planet One Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

After completing the operation, Maersk said in a news release on Friday that sailings would resume through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as through the Suez Canal as a gateway between Asia and Europe.

But everything changed on Saturday when the container ship Maersk Hangzhou reported that it had been hit by a missile while transiting the southern Red Sea.

The container ship requested assistance, and the USS Gravely and USS Laboon responded.

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A Maersk container ship heads towards the Red Sea after passing through the Suez Canal in Suez, Egypt. (Kristian Helgesen/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Responding, the USS Gravely fired two anti-ship missiles fired at the ships from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

Maersk said in a news release that after it was hit by an unknown object and saw no signs of fire on the ship, the ship continued north in the Red Sea.

Then four boats approached the ship and opened fire in an attempt to board.

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The tanker Island Challenger lies off the coast of the Mediterranean port of Limassol. (Danil Shamkin/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Maersk Hangzhou's security team, along with a helicopter deployed from a nearby naval vessel, foiled the attempt and the Hangzhou's crew were deemed safe.

“The safety of our crew is our top priority and all necessary safety measures have been implemented to protect them,” Maersk said. “Maersk is currently working to determine the full details of the Maersk Hangzhou incident.”

The company also said it was in close dialogue with authorities to assess the level of security in the region.

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Maersk said it would suspend sailings in the region until at least January 2nd. At this time, the company expects to inform customers about the current status of the situation.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.