Shipping companies divert vessels away from Red Sea to the Cape of Good Hope

Shipping companies, representing two thirds of global fleet capacity, have begun diverting their vessels away from the Red Sea Strait and towards the Cape of Good Hope, following attacks on ships from the Houthis in Yemen, while the US is establishing a multi-national security task force to deal with threats in the Red Sea.

MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, Evergreen and Ocean Network Express (ONE) have all halted voyages towards the Suez Canal as missile and drone attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatened the safety of their crews.

Vessels have been targeted near the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, located next to southern Yemen on the route to the Suez Canal, with the Houthis looking to disrupt Israel’s trade in response to the war in Gaza.