After an attack by Houthi militants on a Saudi Arabian oil tanker in the Red Sea on Friday, the Danish shipping giant Maersk is halting all of its commercial shipping through the area until further notice.
Maersk released a statement stating that “following the Houthi attack on a Saudi-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, we have temporarily stopped all commercial shipping services to and from the region until the situation has been clarified and a proper security setup is in place.”
The Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack on the oil tanker, which is owned by the Saudi Arabian government. No casualties were reported.
Maersk has been providing shipping services in the region for many years and is the world’s largest shipping company. The suspension of operations will affect thousands of merchant vessels that rely on Maersk to transit through the Red Sea.
The halt in operations is a reaction to the heightened tensions in the region. The attack on the tanker has sparked significant concern about the repercussions of violence between various factions in the region.
The United Nations Security Council said it “strongly condemned” the attack, which it said “causes grave concern for peace and security in the region.”
