Three Japanese shipping companies have suspended operations in the Red Sea due to rising tensions in the region, the companies said on Wednesday.
Nippon Yusen said it took the decision to ensure the safety of its crews. Mitsui OSK Lines and Kawasaki Kisen also said they would avoid the area altogether.
“We have asked our ships that were about to enter the Red Sea not to enter,” a Mitsui OSK Lines spokesperson said, confirming a report by the Nikkei newspaper.
The Houthi attacks have prompted many shipping companies, including Denmark’s Maersk, to divert their ships around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
About 12% of global maritime trade typically passes through the Bab el-Mandeb strait leading to the southern Red Sea, but the number of containers passing through the waterway has fallen by 70% since mid-November, according to experts.
On November 19, the Houthis seized the cargo ship Galaxy Leader and took its crew of 25 people hostage. Nippon Yusen operated the ship on behalf of a British company owned by an Israeli businessman.
