Maersk pauses Red Sea sailings after Houthi attack on container ship
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Ahmed Elimam
COPENHAGEN/DUBAI/CAIRO (Reuters) -Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacked a Maersk container vessel with missiles and small boats, prompting the company to pause all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours, Maersk said on Sunday.
The crew of the Maersk Hangzhou crew was safe and there was no indication of fire onboard the vessel, which continued its journey north to Port Suez, the shipping company said.
A spokesman for the Houthis said the group carried out the attack because the ship's crew refused to heed warning calls. He said 10 Houthi naval personnel were «dead and missing» after their boats were attacked by U.S. forces in the Red Sea.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its helicopters sank three of four boats after responding to distress calls, with the fourth vessel fleeing.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby (NYSE:KEX) declined to say what options are on or off the table when asked on ABC's «Good Morning America» if Washington would consider a preemptive strike.
«We have made it clear publicly to the Houthis, we've made it clear privately to our allies and partners in the region, that we take these threats seriously.»
The attack on Maersk Hangzhou was the latest by Houthi militants in Yemen, who have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea since November to show their support for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza.
The attacks have disrupted world trade, with major shipping companies taking the longer and costlier route around the Africa's Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal.
The Red Sea is the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, which handles about 12% of global trade and vital for the movement of
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