Following Latest Attack Maersk Pauses Red Sea Operations

Following an incident involving one of its vessels, the A.P. Moller – Maersk group (Maersk) has announced that it has decided to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until 2 January.

The vessel in question is the Maersk Hangzhou.

On December 30, at approximately 18:00 CET, it was hit by an unknown object after passing through the Bab al- Mandab Strait en route from Singapore to Port Suez, Egypt.

There was no indication of a fire on board and the vessel was able to continue its transit north. After the initial attack, four boats approached Maersk Hangzhou and opened fire in an attempt to board the vessel.

Maersk Hangzhou’s security team, along with a helicopter deployed from a nearby navy vessel, successfully thwarted the attempt.

The crew of the Maersk Hangzhou is reported to be safe.

The same ship was later attacked with small arms fire by Houthis who came in four ships and attempted to board the Maersk Hangzhou. US defense forces managed to sink three of these ships with the Houthis on board while the fourth ship quickly moved away.

Maersk Hangzhou was among the first vessels to go through the Red Sea again following confirmation that the multinational security initiatives, Operation Prosperity Guardia (OPG), had been deployed in the area.

Maersk is currently working to ascertain the full details of the incident and is in close dialogue with the OPG naval operation and authorities to assess the security level in the area and any potential impact to its voyage plans.

The liner expects to provide customers with an update and more information on 2 January 2024 at the latest.

Read More: Maersk Considers Resumption of Red Sea Operations