All Ships No Longer Pass Through! Ship Company Warns 'prepare For Severe Supply Interruptions'

  According to Reuters, on the 5th local time, Danish shipping giant Maersk announced that in the foreseeable future, all of the company's ships will no longer pass through the Red Sea and warned customers to prepare for severe supply interruptions.

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  The rerouting means that ships have to detour around the southern part of Africa, which could increase shipping time by about 10 days and require more fuel, resulting in increased transportation costs.

  Maersk stated in a statement on the same day that the regional situation remains highly tense, full of uncertainties, and security risks continue to significantly rise.

  Earlier, senior leader of the Houthi armed group in Yemen, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, issued a statement on January 7th, stating that as long as ships passing through the Red Sea declare "no relation to Israel," they will not be attacked.

  He proposed to international shipping companies that each ship passing through the Red Sea, the Strait of Mandeb, or the Arabian Sea can declare in advance "no relation to Israel," stating that "this step does not militarize the Red Sea and will not harm international shipping. With this step, ships can continue to navigate safely without any obstacles, avoiding the trouble of bypassing the Cape of Good Hope."

  However, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi also warned that if ships issue "false reports" and head to Israeli-controlled ports after passing through the Red Sea, they will be blacklisted by the Houthi armed group in Yemen and detained during the next attempt to pass through the Red Sea.