CMA CGM shipping company announces halting of Red Sea crossings
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This comes a week after a convoy featuring ships operated by CMA CGM was targeted earlier this week.
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In this Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, photo the container ship CMA CGM Jules Verne, left, and other vessels are seen in queues from the Port of Los Angeles. (AP)
Shipping and logistics company CMA CGM announced it has temporarily halted all voyages through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in and out of the Red Sea due to security concerns, as reported by a source with knowledge on the matter.
The decision was made in response to recent operations carried out on Israeli-linked vessels by the resistance in Yemen, which included the targeting of a convoy featuring ships operated by CMA CGM earlier this week, according to the source.
The company's actions align with other shipping companies operating Israeli-linked ships in temporarily ceasing passage through the southern Red Sea, further disrupting global supply chains.
The company noted it has redirected certain services around southern Africa. Under exceptional circumstances, some ships reportedly continued their journey through the Red Sea with the assistance of French navy escorts.
Read more: US lies on Yemeni intent to destroy marine internet cables debunked
In November last year, sources reported that a CMA CGM Symi container ship which was operated by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer had been targeted in the Indian Ocean.
A US defense official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the Malta-flagged vessel was suspected to have been targeted by a drone while in international waters.
The drone exploded, according to AP, causing damage to the ship without injuring any of its crew.
US, UK coalition conducts airstrikes on Yemen
Earlier in the day, an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the US and the UK launched seven airstrikes on the Abs district of the Hajjah Governorate, northwest of the country.
A source familiar with the matter said the US-British airstrikes did not target any vital or sensitive targets.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Yemeni capital Sanaa confirmed Thursday that a US-British aggression targeted the coastal city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea, west of Yemen.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had earlier claimed that the destroyer shot down an anti-ship missile fired from Yemen toward the Red Sea and that no injuries or damage were reported
The latest Yemeni announcement nips in the bud CENTCOM's claim and an earlier CNN report that cited four US officials as saying that a Yemeni missile came within one mile of USS Gravely before it was able to shoot it down.
Read more: CENTCOM says shot down Yemeni anti-ship missile heading to Red Sea
