Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan shipping giant Evergreen said on Monday that it was suspending its Israeli cargo shipments with immediate effect due to the “escalation of war situation”.
It is the latest major shipping firm to suspend passage in the Red Sea following Yemeni rebel attacks in the area.
Due to “escalation of war situation in recent days, Evergreen will temporary suspend Israel import and export service due to rising risk and safety considerations with immediate effect until further notice,” Evergreen said in a brief notice to its customers.
Several of the world’s largest shipping companies, including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, and energy giant BP have already suspended passage through the Red Sea’s strategic Bab al-Mandab strait in response to a warning by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognized internationally, said they were targeting vessels near the strait to pressure Israel over its devastating war with Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Forty percent of the world’s international trade transits through the strait, which runs between Yemen, on the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and the African continent.
The series of attacks has led a number of major shipping companies to avoid the maritime chokepoint and redirect their vessels around Africa, a longer and far more costly route.