Maritime transport in the Red Sea remains risky despite the ceasefire in Gaza and the announcement by Yemen’s Houthis to limit their attacks, according to the CEO of the logistics and maritime branch of Abu Dhabi’s national oil company.
Shipping officials remain cautious about a return to the Red Sea, given the risks to seafarers, cargo and their assets. The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023, prompting most shipping companies to divert ships from the Suez Canal to the longer route around Africa southern.
“As we speak, we cannot say that there is almost no problem and the whole fleet can enter the Red Sea. As I said, there is a human aspect, we “We cannot risk our employees going there when there may be a fragile ceasefire now,” Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC Logistics & Services, told Reuters.
Danish shipping company Maersk said on Friday it would continue to circumnavigate Africa via the Cape of Good Hope until safe passage through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area is assured in the long term. term.
-The Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial shipping to ships linked to Israel on the condition that the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented, although they have conditioned their cessation of attacks on ships linked to the United States or in the UK on various conditions, which has increased caution about any returns, according to shipping and insurance industry sources.
On Wednesday, the Houthis freed the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a ship that the militant group seized more than a year ago. This week, Washington designated the Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organization,” which risks escalating tensions with the militia.
World
