https://arab.news/bb9ev
LONDON/COPENHAGEN: Japan’s Nippon Yusen , the country’s biggest shipper by sales, on Tuesday suspended navigation through the Red Sea for all the vessels it operates, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The company, also known as NYK Line, has also instructed its vessels navigating near the Red Sea to wait in safe waters and is considering route changes, the spokesperson said.
It is the latest operator to cease traversing the key shipping corridor following an advisory from the Combined Maritime Forces to stay clear of the region after the launch of US and British airstrikes on Houthi installations in Yemen.
Two other Japanese shipping firms, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, also decided to have all their vessels suspend navigation through the Red Sea, Japan’s Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday.
Maersk sends two US-flagged container ships
Maersk has sent two container ships through the Red Sea carrying goods for the US military and government, according to the Danish company and ship tracking data.
Maersk and other large shipping lines have instructed hundreds of commercial vessels to stay clear of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait near Yemen, sending vessels on the longer route around Africa in response to attacks on shipping by Houthis.
The two US-flagged vessels, Maersk Sentosa and Maersk Kensington, sailed from Salalah in Oman through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and were headed north through the Red Sea, according to LSEG ship-tracking data.
Both vessels passed the strait with their AIS tracking system turned off to avoid detection. The Maersk Kensington reappeared at 0818 GMT on Tuesday, while the Maersk Sentosa was seen to have switched on AIS at 2211 GMT on Monday, the data showed.
Maersk Sentosa and Kensington, with capacities of 6,500 and 6,200 twenty-foot containers, respectively, are part of Maersk Line Ltd., a US subsidiary of the Danish company.
With a fleet of 20 smaller container vessels, the unit ships goods for US agencies including the Department of Defense, State Department and USAID, Maersk said.
“The few Maersk Line Limited-vessels making the crossing are doing so in the near proximity of US Navy assets, which have reduced the risks to the crews and cargo,” Maersk said in an email to Reuters.