EMEA News
MSC Joins Other Container Lines in Avoiding Suez After Attacks
MSC, the world's largest shipping company, has joined other leading container lines in temporarily avoiding the Red Sea in response to recent attacks from Yemen.
The firm's boxship the MSC Palatium III was attacked in the Red Sea on Friday morning, the company said in a statement on its website on Saturday.
The vessel has been taken out of service with 'limited fire damage' but no crew were injured.
"Due to this incident and to protect the lives and safety of our seafarers, until the Red Sea passage is safe, MSC ships will not transit the Suez Canal Eastbound and Westbound," the company said in the statement.
"Already now, some services will be rerouted to go via the Cape of Good Hope instead.
"This disruption will impact the sailing schedules by several days of vessels booked for Suez transit. We ask for your understanding under these serious circumstances."
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd made similar announcements on Friday.
The voyage around Africa for vessels avoiding Suez is much longer, and a widespread use of this longer route would be likely to raise bunker demand at several ports.
