From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Japan’s Nippon Yusen latest major shipping firm to suspend Red Sea routes amid Houthi attacks
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Japanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen says it is joining other major companies in suspending routes through the Red Sea over Houthi rebel attacks on vessels in the vital waterway.
“We have suspended navigation through the Red Sea by all ships we operate,” a spokesman for the firm, also known as NYK Line, tells AFP, adding the decision was to “ensure the safety of crews.”
Since Friday, US and British forces have been striking targets inside Houthi-controlled Yemen in response to the attacks by the Iran-backed group, which says it is targeting Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza.
The situation has heightened fears of the Israel-Hamas war, which began with a devastating shock assault by Hamas on southern Israel, flaring across the region and disrupted trade in one of the world’s key maritime commercial routes.
The waterway between Asian and European markets normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.
Diverting around the southern tip of Africa takes longer and is more expensive.
Two other major Japanese shipping firms — Kawasaki Kisen and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines — have also suspended navigation through the Red Sea, Japanese business daily Nikkei reported yesterday.
Officials of the two companies were not immediately available for comment on the report.
— with Times of Israel staff
The Times of Israel Community.