The Maersk Denver‘s passage through the Red Sea ended successfully, with no threats to the safety of the ship or its crew. This was the second such passage undertaken by the shipping company since the outbreak of the global crisis that has undermined the safety of international shipping in the area due to attacks by the Houthis on merchant ships directly or indirectly linked to Israeli interests.
The US-flagged 6,248 TEU containership deactivated its AIS tracking system on 10th January while passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – probably to avoid being intercepted by the Houthis – and managed to transit through Suez between 11th and 12th January, heading for the east coast of the United States.
On 18th December, another Maersk boxship, the Sebarok, flying the Singapore flag and operating on the route between the east coast of the United States and the Gulf coast, bound for India, managed to complete the transit without any problems.
Other liners are gradually starting to transit through Egyptian waters again. One of CMA CGM’s flagships, the 23,000 TEU Jacques Saade, crossed the Suez Canal on 23rd December, on route to Port Klang, Malaysia.
Translation by Giles Foster
