Maersk to resume Red Sea transit under Op. Prosperity Guardian cover

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Dec 2023 09:04

The Danish shipping company says it is working on resuming eastward and westward transit through the Red Sea, hoping for effective US protection.

The Vilnia Maersk container vessel unloads at the Jade Weserport container terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on November 15, 2022. (AP)

Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk said on Sunday that it is preparing to resume navigation in the Red Sea.

The announcement follows the launching of the United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, which seeks to escort vessels through the Red Sea.

"With the OPG initiative in operation, we are preparing to allow for vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea both eastbound and westbound. We are currently working on plans for the first vessels to make the transit and for this to happen as soon as operationally possible," the company stated.

Earlier on December 15, A.P. Moller-Maersk said it would suspend all of its container traffic through the Red Sea "until further notice." This came after the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) attacked one of the company's container ships, the Maersk Gibraltar, which failed to adhere to the instructions and heed the warnings of the Yemeni Navy before being targeted.

YAF's operations: Resoundingly impactful

Maersk's decision came in the context of a fierce media campaign led against the Yemeni Armed Forces, framing their operations as a threat to international maritime trading routes.

However, the Sanaa government in Yemen, as well as the YAF, reiterated on multiple occasions that the operations are limited to "Israel"-bound vessels sailing in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sed. The Yemeni Armed Forces took this step in support of the Palestinian people and their Resistance, who are pushing back against a fierce Israeli aggression that has claimed over 20,400 lives.

The operations have seen great success, causing detrimental financial losses for Israeli ports, including the Haifa and "Eilat" ports in occupied Palestine. Moreover, companies such as Maersk hiked insurance premiums for container ships heading to Israeli ports, citing the security situation.

Others resorted to pre-1850s methods in order to deliver goods to Israeli ports, circling the African continent via the Cape of Good Hope in order to bypass the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal, which links the East to Europe.

US's timid response

In response, the US has led efforts to form a naval coalition that would work on securing the Western and Israeli interests in the Red Sea, under the pretext of safeguarding international maritime trade.

Around a week has passed since the Pentagon announced the launching of Operation Prosperity Guardian, which will include contributions from 20 nations. However, it continues to be haunted by the reluctant participation of its members and uncertainty behind the operation's objectives.

The new #US-led coalition is off to a rocky start as countries send minimal contributions in their maritime effort aimed at the Yemeni Armed Forces.

Operation Prosperity Guardian claims to protect vessels in the #RedSea, but, in reality, it's only meant to further disrupt the… pic.twitter.com/pkz2DtN7wX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 21, 2023

On Sunday, Spain announced its decision not to partake in a US-led coalition, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry informed AFP.

Moreover, according to the stated objectives of the mission, the US Navy and its allies will seek to escort tens of ships through the Red Sea a day, which speaks to the sheer magnitude of the task at hand.

Fabian Hinz, a research fellow specializing in Middle East defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, told Newsweek that the US is already "stretched" with its international commitments. In detail, the expert stressed that although the US Navy is capable of thwarting anti-ship attacks, it "can't be everywhere all the time."

According to Hinz, the US is faced with a "near impossible task," as it attempts to escort trading vessels passing in a huge body of water.