Hapag-Lloyd continues to divert ships from Red Sea, US coalition flops

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
2 Jan 2024 19:39
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The German company alongside others is yet to decide whether the US-coalition is capable of providing them with the necessary security to sail in the Red Sea.

The Hapag-Lloyd container ship 'Chacabuco' from Monrovia is docked in Hamburg, Germany, on March 31, 2023. (AP)

The German international shipping and container transportation company, Hapag-Lloyd AG, has said that it will continue to divert its vessels away around the Suez Canal, citing security reasons.

Danish shipping company Maersk said it will decide on Wednesday whether to sail its vessels in the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal, or continue to redirect them around Africa, via the Cape Route. On the other hand, Maersk's alliance partner, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has said that it will continue to divert its vessels to the pre-19th century route, according to Reuters.

"We monitor the situation closely day-by-day, but will continue to reroute our vessels until Jan. 9," the spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth biggest container liner, told Reuters.

Hapag-Lloyd's expression of uncertainty coincides with the third week of the US-led maritime coalition's operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. Under Operation Prosperity Guardian, the United States Navy made a promise under the guise of protecting international maritime routes through the aforementioned bodies of water.

US fails to garner shipping companies' trust

Under the pretext that the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) are endangering international trade, the US rushed to form the coalition, hoping to deter the Yemeni people from supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The YAF clarified on every possible occasion that their operations would only target Israeli-owned vessels or ships heading to Israeli ports via the Red and Arabian seas.

In this context, the YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said, "We caution all nations against getting involved or cooperating with the United States in protecting the Zionist enemy's ships."

The YAF operations come in line with the nation's unwavering support for the Palestinian people, who are experiencing a blatant US-backed and Israeli-executed genocide. Yemen took a remarkable initiative despite a 9-year-long war on its territories, which has seen thousands killed and millions living under cruel circumstances, due to a Saudi-US imposed siege.

Yemen not deterred

The US propaganda campaign and mobilization against Yemen culminated in an attack on the Yemeni Navy's speed boats on Sunday, in which 10 members of the Navy were either killed or reported missing.

A statement released by the Yemeni Parliament in Sanaa pointed to American and British militaries, as well as states that have allied themselves with the two Western powers, saying that their presence in Yemeni territories equates to an act of occupation.

The legislative body stressed the need to deal with occupation forces on the basis that they are "enemy targets", emphasizing that "American mobilization constitutes a real threat to the safety of international maritime routes in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea."

The Yemeni Armed Forces consistently kept true to their promises to respond to attacks or initiatives, even against the world's most advanced military coalition, represented by the United States and its ally "Israel".