Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, has announced an urgent security update due to the recent attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. The escalating situation in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is causing great concern for the company. On Friday, Maersk stated to the German Press Agency that they will not be sending any more container ships through the affected area.

The measure follows an almost completed attack on the "Maersk Gibraltar" on Thursday, as well as another attack on a container ship on Friday. All Maersk ships that were supposed to sail through the Bab al-Mandab Strait were called upon to temporarily interrupt their voyages. The company emphasized that it is continuing to monitor the situation closely.

Maersk expressed concerns about the increasing threat to the safety of seafarers and assured that they would do everything possible to maintain customers' supply chains to the best of their ability. However, disruptions may not be completely avoidable.

The background of the attacks remains unclear, but the Houthi rebels supported by Iran threaten to impede ships of any nationality from passing through the Red Sea on their way to Israel. Only cargo ships transporting aid supplies to the Gaza Strip are exempt from this restriction.

The attacks already have impacts on the shipping industry. A container ship of the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd also became the target of the attacks. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and what measures will be taken by the affected companies to counter these serious security threats.