EMEA News
MSC to Continue Avoiding Red Sea and Suez After Tuesday's Boxship Attack
Container line MSC, the world's largest shipping company, has confirmed that one of its ships was attacked in the Red Sea on Tuesday, and will instruct its vessels to continue avoiding the area.
The 8,204 TEU boxship MSC United VIII was attacked at about 12:25 UTC on Tuesday while the ship was on a voyage from King Abdullah Port to Karachi, MSC said in a statement on its website.
The firm will continue to instruct its vessels to avoid the area as a result. Rival firms AP Moller-Maersk and CMA CGM plan to resume Red Sea transits after the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian to improve security in the area, and Hapag-Lloyd expects to make a decision on whether to follow suit on Wednesday.
"Currently, all crew are safe with no reported injuries and a thorough assessment of the vessel is being conducted," MSC said in the statement.
"Our first priority remains protecting the lives and safety of our seafarers, and until their safety can be ensured MSC will continue to reroute vessels booked for Suez transit via the Cape of Good Hope."
The container industry en masse avoiding the Red Sea and Suez, and taking longer routes around Africa, would add 2% to global bunker demand, according to a Ship & Bunker analysis. This figure could be doubled if tankers and bulkers took the same decision.
