Disruption in Maersk Shipping in the Red Sea Has Spread to the Entire Network of the Company

The Danish company Maersk announced that the disruption in its shipping route through the Red Sea has now spread far beyond and affected its entire oceanic network. The large shipping company Maersk and other similar companies have changed their shipping routes towards the Cape of Good Hope in Africa since December to prevent attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea. This rerouting has increased travel time and transportation costs. Maersk stated: "These disruptions have a wide scope and have impacted beyond the initial routes. This has caused traffic in alternative routes and important exchange centers that are vital for trade with the Far East of Asia, Central Asia, and Europe." Maersk also noted that Asia's exports have been more affected than its imports by this situation, as Asian countries are major global exporters. Despite these problems, Maersk emphasized that demand for maritime transport remains high and that air transport, especially the combined sea-air method, is being used for the quick movement of perishable goods. The Houthi militants, who have controlled parts of Yemen since 2014, have been carrying out missile and drone attacks on shipping lines in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for months, claiming to support the Palestinians in Gaza. They consider these attacks a retaliation for Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. British security agencies reported that two ships were targeted near Yemen. The Houthis have targeted over 70 ships with missile and drone strikes, resulting in the deaths of four sailors. Since November, they have seized one ship and sunk two others. On July 16, as a new American aircraft carrier approached the region to secure the key international trade route, two attacks were carried out by Houthi rebels. According to British and American officials, three small Houthi vessels, two of which were manned and one unmanned, attacked the MT Bently I, a Panama-flagged ship owned by Israel, off the coast of Hodeidah, Yemen. The captain of this ship later reported three separate waves of missile attacks that exploded near the vessel. On the same day, in a separate incident off the same coast, the MT Chios Lion, a Liberia-flagged tanker owned by the Marshall Islands, was targeted by a Houthi drone, causing damage to the ship. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks on these two ships in the Red Sea on Monday night. The U.S. Central Command confirmed these attacks on Tuesday morning, stating that "the ongoing reckless behavior of the Iran-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of sailors across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim to act on behalf of the Palestinians in Gaza, but they target and threaten the lives of citizens of third countries that have no connection to the conflict in Gaza." The Central Command also reported that U.S. forces have destroyed five Houthi drones in the Red Sea and Yemen. The American aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is heading to the Middle East to replace the Eisenhower carrier, which has been present for months to counter the Houthis in the Red Sea.