Last Friday Hapag-Lloyd experienced an attack on our vessel “Al Jasrah” in the Red Sea. Fortunately, the crew was not injured, and the vessel could continue its journey. As we see it today, the situation around the Suez Canal and the Red Sea is unsafe and the risks for our crews onboard are unacceptable.
Since December 15th four of the world’s five largest container-shipping companies, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and MSC, have paused or suspended their services in the Red Sea, until further notice. The four companies that have now suspended operations in the area comprise four of the top five in the world – and shipping experts say the decisions are going to be costly They will reassess the situation in the Red Sea regularly and reinstate their services through the Suez Canal when the situation in the area is deemed safe and secure for their ships and crews. At present, we must expect a longer transit time.