Shipping giants sail cautiously back into Red Sea despite Houthi threats
Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk announced earlier this month that three services under their shipping partnership would shift from the Cape of Good Hope route back to the Red Sea.
Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd is cautiously returning to the Red Sea, confirming Monday that another Asia-Mediterranean container route will make scheduled transits through the Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandab Strait in October and December. Three other similar routes resumed service earlier in the month.
The development comes as Houthi forces have tightened their hold around the Red Sea’s southern entrance amid clashes with Saudi Arabia, raising fresh risks for shipping and energy flows in the strategic trade corridor offering the shortest link between Asia and Europe.
What happened: Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk announced earlier this month that three services under their long-term ocean shipping partnership, dubbed Gemini, would shift from the longer Cape of Good Hope route back to the Red Sea and that another sailing would be announced later. The carriers stressed that each voyage would remain subject to security assessments.
On Monday, Hapag-Lloyd confirmed that the fourth service, SE1, is scheduled to return to the regional route. The Umm Qarn containership is now set to operate a westbound voyage from Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia on Oct. 27 to Algeciras, Spain, from which it is scheduled to return on Dec. 5.
