COPENHAGEN, Jan  24, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Danish shipping giant Maersk said 
Wednesday that two ships belonging to a US subsidiary heading towards the Red 
Sea had turned back after explosions nearby in a zone where there have been 
attacks by Huthi rebels.

       The Maersk Detroit and the Maersk Chesapeake were transiting the Bab 
al-Mandeb strait  with a US Navy escort when they heard explosions, the company 
said. 

       "En route, both ships reported seeing explosions close by and the US Navy 
accompaniment also intercepted multiple projectiles," Maersk said in a 
statement.

       " The crew, ship, and cargo are safe and unharmed. The US Navy has turned 
both ships around and is escorting them back to the Gulf of Aden," it added.

       The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden passing 
next to Yemen.

       Following attacks on commercial and military vessels by Huthi rebels, 
several shipping firms have diverted away from the Red Sea, instead taking the 
longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

       Maersk also made this decision in early January, however the Maersk Detroit 
and the Maersk Chesapeake, sailing under US flags, are operated by Maersk's US 
subsidiary Maersk Line, Limited (MLL).

       Following the incident, MLL will also suspend all traffic in the region 
until further notice, the Danish shipping company said.

       With 12 percent of world trade passing through, according to the 
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Red Sea is a "crucial waterway" 
linking the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, and hence Europe to Asia. 

       Some 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal every year, the gateway for 
ships entering and leaving the zone.

       Avoiding the region and diverting transit via the Cape of Good Hope, at the 
southern tip of Africa, to connect Europe to Asia, considerably lengthens 
delivery times and freight rates.

       The increases follow difficult years for the industry during the Covid 
pandemic, when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to blockages in 
supply chains.