DANISH shipping giant Maersk planned to sail almost all its containerships between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal despite the missile threat from Yemeni Houthi force,reports Reuters.
Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd stopped using Red Sea and Suez Canal routes after Houthi forces began targeting vessels, disrupting global trade in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israelis in he Gaza strip.
These carriers rerouted ships on the Cape route to avoid attacks, charging customers extra and adding days or weeks to the time it takes to transport goods from Asia.
But Maersk aid it was preparing a return to the Red Sea, citing the deployment of a US-led military operation to protect vessels, and released schedules showing ships were headed for Suez in the coming weeks.
A detailed breakdown showed that while Maersk had diverted 26 of its own ships around the Cape of Good Hope in the last 10 days or so, only five more were scheduled to start the same journey.
By contrast, more than 50 Maersk vessels are set to go via Suez in coming weeks, the company's schedule showed.
