Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd stated on 17 January that they do not see an immediate return to Red Sea after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters, both companies said they would be closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and would return to the Red Sea once it was safe to do so. Hapag-Lloyd had already flagged in June that a ceasefire would not mean an immediate resume of passage through the Suez Canal, as attacks from Yemen-based Houthi militants could still be possible.
“The agreement has only just been reached. We will closely analyze the latest developments and their impact on the security situation in the Red Sea,” a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told Reuters.”It is still too early to speculate about timing,” a Maersk spokesperson said.
Rearranging the schedule would take between four and six weeks, a company spokesperson said at the time.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels’ leader has vowed to continue operations if Israel does not comply with the ceasefire agreement.
