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World’s Top Shipping Companies Say Won’t Send Vessels Back to Red Sea

The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 
The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 
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World’s Top Shipping Companies Say Won’t Send Vessels Back to Red Sea

The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 
The Houthis threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza fails (EPA) 

Despite a Houthi pledge not to attack ships in the Red Sea as long as a ceasefire in Gaza holds, big shipping companies said they won’t send vessels back to the area, given the unpredictable situation in Gaza and tensions in the Middle East.

The day after a ceasefire was declared in Gaza, the Houthi militant group said they will only attack Israeli-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea.

But, despite those pledges, “The world’s top three container shippers, MSC Mediterranean Shipping, A.P. Moller-Maersk and CMA CGM, in recent days said they would stick with other routes given what they called the unpredictable situation in Gaza and broader tensions in the Middle East,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.

Nils Haupt, spokesman for Germany's biggest shipper, Hapag-Lloyd, said, “You don't want to send a gas carrier that will go up in flames. We don't know when we will be returning.”

The Houthis declared their commitment to stop attacks in the Red Sea after a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. But they vowed to strike ships if Israel continues its military operations in the West Bank.

The Iranian-backed militants, who control swathes of Yemen, have used an array of sophisticated weapons - including ballistic missiles and drones - in their 14-month attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

Ships were forced to divert to routes around Africa’s southern Cape of Good Hope.

The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOOC) which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators and is associated with the Houthi military, said it was stopping “sanction” against vessels owned by US or British individuals or entities, as well as ships sailing under their flags.

In an email sent to shipping industry officials dated Jan. 19, HOOC said, “We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, or the usurping Israeli entity, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor.”

Last week, Dubai-owned ports and logistics firm DP World expected ships not linked to Israel to begin returning to the Red Sea in as little as two weeks.

Sea freight prices could drop “at least 20%, 25%” and that could happen over two to three months, DP World's deputy chief executive Yuvraj Narayan told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting taking place in Davos, Switzerland.

Last Wednesday, Houthis released 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader car carrier seized in November 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Arab World

Northern Gaza Residents: Stuck in Open Air Living

Gazan families receive no more than 50 liters of water daily in Beit Lahia Camp (AP)
Gazan families receive no more than 50 liters of water daily in Beit Lahia Camp (AP)
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Northern Gaza Residents: Stuck in Open Air Living

Gazan families receive no more than 50 liters of water daily in Beit Lahia Camp (AP)
Gazan families receive no more than 50 liters of water daily in Beit Lahia Camp (AP)

The return of Palestinian refugees from southern Gaza to the north has been difficult, especially due to the extensive damage to homes and infrastructure in the area. Many residents, who had hoped for better conditions than life in tents, have found little relief.

After months of living in tents during the Israeli conflict, they returned to the north only to find few homes available, with some even unable to find space to set up their tents.

The return of nearly 800,000 displaced people to northern Gaza has created significant challenges for the Hamas-led Gaza government. The situation has revealed unexpected difficulties, particularly as Israel has not yet kept its promise to deliver much-needed relief supplies, such as tents and caravans.

The sight of massive destruction has overshadowed the living conditions in Jabalia Camp and the towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun for many returning residents.

This has forced local authorities, according to sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, to expand bulldozing efforts in several key areas, increasing the space available for tents to shelter residents.

However, the task has been complicated by the difficulty of acquiring the necessary equipment to clear rubble and debris.

Mohammed Abu Obeid, a resident of Jabalia Camp, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the situation worsened when authorities were unable to provide sufficient water for residents.

This has led people to rely on water deliveries via trucks, which transport large amounts from Gaza City to the camp. The goal is to provide each family with approximately 50 liters of water daily, but Abu Obeid noted that this amount is hardly enough.

Abu Obeid pointed out that residents are unable to find any nearby power sources. As night falls, they are forced to remain in their tents or, for those who still have homes or managed to salvage a room from heavily damaged buildings, stay there with their families.

“We didn’t expect life to be this grim, this full of hell,” he remarked.

Suhad Abu Hussein, a resident of the camp, shared that she spent her first night back in northern Gaza sleeping in the open.

She waited until the second day, when technical teams managed to clear a small portion of rubble which allowed them to begin setting up available tents.

Hussein explained that she is currently living in a tent just three meters in size. However, she faces significant challenges due to the lack of water and any power source, leaving residents in complete darkness without even basic street lighting.

Gaza’s municipality has warned that the lack of services will make life even harder for displaced people returning to their areas.

They explained that the water supply only covers 40% of the city, and the water available doesn’t meet the residents’ needs due to damage to water networks. More than 75% of the city's central wells have been destroyed.

The municipality stressed that it cannot provide even basic services to the displaced without heavy machinery. It urgently needs equipment to repair wells and sewage networks. Despite limited resources, efforts continue to clear streets and remove rubble to help the displaced return and allow residents to move around.

Israel has blocked the entry of heavy machinery, tents, caravans, and other supplies. Hamas has been in talks with mediators to address these restrictions.

Ahmed Al-Asi, a young man from Beit Lahia, affirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat there are no bakeries in his town or in Jabalia Camp.

He has to travel more than 6 kilometers to Gaza City’s Nasr neighborhood every day to buy bread for his family of 18, spending about 40 shekels ($12) daily.