Factbox: Shipping firms react to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea

Gram Car Carriers ASA

15/01/2024 14:02

(Adds Kuehne + Nagel, Hafnia, Torm, updates Hapag-Lloyd)
       Jan 15 (Reuters) - Iranian-backed Houthi militants in
Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea,
impacting a shipping route vital to East-West trade.
    In response, some shipping companies have instructed vessels
to instead sail around southern Africa, a slower and therefore
more expensive route.
    The U.S. and Britain launched dozens of air strikes against
Houthi military targets overnight on Jan. 11 and 12 in
retaliation for the attacks, widening regional conflict stemming
from Israel's war in Gaza.
    Below are actions taken by companies (in alphabetical
order):

    C.H. ROBINSON  CHRW.O 
    The global logistics group said on Dec. 22 it had rerouted
more than 25 vessels around the Cape of Good Hope over the
previous week, and that number would likely grow.
    "Blank sailings and rate increases are expected to continue
across many trades into Q1 of 2024," it added.

    CMA CGM
    The French shipping firm said on Jan. 5 it had not changed
its plans announced in December to gradually raise the number of
vessels transiting through the Suez Canal.
    It had previously rerouted several vessels via the Cape of
Good Hope.
    
    EURONAV  EUAV.BR  
    The Belgian oil tanker firm said on Dec. 18 it would avoid
the Red Sea until further notice.

    EVERGREEN  2603.TW  
    The Taiwanese container shipping line said on Dec. 18 its
vessels on regional services to Red Sea ports would sail to safe
waters nearby and wait for further notification, while ships
scheduled to pass through the Red Sea would be rerouted around
Africa. It also temporarily stopped accepting Israeli cargo.

    FRONTLINE  FRO.OL  
    The Norway-based oil tanker group on Dec. 18 said its
vessels would avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

    GRAM CAR CARRIERS  GCC.OL 
    The Norwegian auto carrier said on Dec. 21 its vessels were
restricted from passing through the Red Sea.

    HAFNIA  HAFNI.OL 
    The Norwegian shipping firm said on Jan. 12 it has halted
all ships heading towards or within the Bab al-Mandab Strait,
following an advisory from the Combined Maritime Forces to stay
clear of the region after the U.S.-British air strikes in Yemen.

    HAPAG-LLOYD  HLAG.DE  
    The German container shipping line on Jan. 15 said it would
continue to divert vessels away from the Suez Canal and around
Africa. It will take next decisions on Jan. 22.
    "We are not commenting on the specific incidents that
occurred last night," a company spokesperson said on Jan. 12
regarding the U.S-British air strikes, adding Hapag-Lloyd
welcomed measures to secure safe passage, as diversions have led
to tens of millions of euros in additional monthly costs.

    HMM  011200.KS  
    The South Korean container shipper said on Dec. 19 it had
ordered its ships which would normally use the Suez Canal to
reroute around Africa.

    HOEGH AUTOLINERS  HAUTO.OL 
    The Norwegian auto carrier said on Dec. 20 it would stop
sailing via the Red Sea after the Norwegian Maritime Authority
raised its alert for the southern part of the sea to the highest
level.

    KLAVENESS COMBINATION CARRIERS  KCCK.OL  
    The Norway-based fleet operator said on Dec. 28 it was
unlikely to sail any of its vessels in the Red Sea unless the
situation improves. 

    KUEHNE + NAGEL  KNIN.S  
    "Even if from today forward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait was to
become safe and secure for transit, we expect it will take a
minimum of two months before vessels could assume normal
rotational patterns," Michael Aldwell, executive VP for sea
logistics at the Swiss logistics firm, said on Jan. 12.

    MAERSK  MAERSKb.CO 
    The Danish shipping group, which controls about one-sixth of
global container trade, said on Jan. 5 it would suspend Red Sea
traffic "for the foreseeable future".
    Following the U.S.-British strikes against Houthi military
targets, Maersk said on Jan. 12 it hopes international
interventions and a larger naval presence in the area will
eventually lead to a resumption of maritime commerce through the
strait.

    MSC
    Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said on Dec. 16 its
ships would not transit through the Suez Canal, with some
already rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope.

    OCEAN NETWORK EXPRESS
    Ocean Network Express (ONE), a joint venture between Japan's
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha  9107.T , Mitsui O.S.K. Lines  9104.T  and
Nippon Yusen  9101.T , said on Dec. 19 it would reroute vessels
from the Red Sea to the Cape of Good Hope or temporarily pause
journeys and move to safe areas.

    OOCL
    The Hong Kong-headquartered container group said on Dec. 21
it had instructed its vessels to either divert their route away
from the Red Sea or suspend sailing. The company, owned by
Orient Overseas (International) Ltd  0316.HK , also stopped
accepting cargo to and from Israel until further notice.

    TORM  TRMDa.CO 
    The Danish oil tanker group said on Jan. 12 it has decided
to pause all transits through the southern Red Sea for now.
    
    WALLENIUS WILHELMSEN  WAWI.OL  
    The Norwegian shipping group said on Dec. 19 it would halt
Red Sea transits until further notice. Rerouting vessels around
Africa will add 1-2 weeks to voyage durations, it said.

    YANG MING MARINE TRANSPORT  2609.TW  
    The Taiwanese container shipping company said on Dec. 18 it
would divert ships sailing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Aden via the Cape of Good Hope for the next two weeks.

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Type of goods shipped via the Suez route    https://tmsnrt.rs/3NBsrTC
Vessels re-routing around Africa    https://tmsnrt.rs/3NVTcCz
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
 (Compiled by Paolo Laudani, Izabela Niemiec, Jesus Calero,
Louis van Boxel-Woolf, Tristan Veyet and Elsa Ohlen in Gdansk; 
Editing by Jason Neely, Louise Heavens and Milla Nissi)
 ((Paolo.Laudani@thomsonreuters.com;))