The Danish Maersk global shipping firm is planning to resume its operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the company announced Sunday.
“As of Sunday 24 December 2023, we have received confirmation that the previously announced multi-national security initiative Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) has now been set up and deployed to allow maritime commerce to pass through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway between Asia and Europe. With the OPG initiative in operation, we are preparing to allow for vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea both eastbound and westbound,” Masersk said in its statement.
The decision, which follows the formation of a US-led multinational maritime task force aimed at ensuring the safety of vessels transiting the waterways, means good news for both the Israeli and Egyptian economies. The Suez Canal is transited by vessels heading to the Mediterranean from the Red Sea.
Bahrain Joins Multinational Force Countering Houthi Red Sea Threats
Maersk and at least six other major shipping companies announced earlier this month that they were pausing their operations in the Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb Strait in the face of ongoing attacks on commercial vessels by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Houthis began attacking ships in the waterway shortly after October 7th, when Gaza’s Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist organization launched a war against the State of Israel, as a means of expressing solidarity with the terrorists.
Drones and ballistic missiles were fired at numerous commercial vessels by the Houthis, who pledged to attack any ship sailing to or from Israel, or connected with the Jewish State in any other way. However, the attacks have since expanded to include other targets without any connection to Israel.
