COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s Maersk said on Tuesday its vessels due to sail through the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden would be rerouted around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope due to attacks on vessels in the area.

As of Monday, Maersk had paused the voyages of around 20 ships, half of which were waiting east of the Gulf of Aden and the rest south of the Suez canal in the Red Sea or north of it in the Mediterranean Sea, the company said in a statement.

A Maersk container ship was targeted but not hit by a missile on Thursday while en route from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the company on Friday decided to halt all its vessels bound for the Red Sea.

“We are pleased to see joint efforts on international maritime security and capacity building in the area to bring forward a solution enabling a return to transit the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area and the Suez Canal in the near future,” Maersk said in a statement.

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“Meanwhile, routing vessels via the Cape of Good Hope will ultimately deliver faster and more predictable outcomes for our customers and their supply chains,” Maersk added.

Future sailings planned through the area would be assessed case by case to determine whether adjustments are necessary, the shipping group said.