Container vessel of renowned German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd attacked in the Red Sea. According to a company spokesperson, the "Al Jasrah" was damaged in the attack in the strait between Yemen and Djibouti, but there were no injuries. According to media reports, the incident occurred near the strategically important passage of the Suez Canal, while the ship was en route from Greece to Singapore. No precise information on the damages has been provided so far, but the vessel is able to continue its journey.
This is not the first incident of this kind in the Red Sea, where the Houthi rebels from Yemen have repeatedly attacked ships. In light of the increasing threat, German ship owners recently demanded protective measures from the federal government and the EU. The German merchant fleet, consisting of around 1800 ships, is one of the largest in the world. The Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have been increasingly attacking Israel since the beginning of the Gaza conflict and have also threatened to prevent ships of any nationality from passing through the Red Sea on their way to Israel. Only cargo ships carrying aid goods to the Gaza Strip are expected to be granted passage, while all others are considered as "legitimate targets by our armed forces," according to the rebels.
Despite the incident, the Hapag-Lloyd share seems to remain unaffected on the XETRA trading day and even shows a temporary increase of 5.92 percent at 114.50 euros. The German government has strongly condemned the incident and is currently reviewing a US request for a possible naval operation in the Red Sea. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office emphasized that any attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Strait of Al-Mandab are completely unacceptable and pose a significant threat to international maritime shipping.
The shelling and damage to the container ship "Al Jasrah" is another threatening incident in the tense situation in the Red Sea. The federal government will consult with all involved government agencies and take decisive action to ensure the security of international trade shipping. The attacks by the Houthi rebels pose a serious threat to the international shipping industry and must be urgently addressed with appropriate security measures.
