Wall Street Journal: Shell company stops shipments to the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks
The Wall Street Journal reported, on Tuesday, that the major British oil company, Shell, has suspended all shipments through the Red Sea indefinitely.
This comes after the US and British strikes on the Houthis in Yemen raised fears of further escalation.
Thus, Shell joins other global shipping companies, such as MSC, Maersk, CGM, and COSCO, in making the decision to avoid the Red Sea, including other energy companies, most notably British Petroleum.
BP said last month that it had stopped all shipments through the main shipping lane, and Qatar Energy Company did the same on Monday.
Last December, a drone targeted a tanker chartered by Shell to transport Indian aviation fuel in the Red Sea, and was harassed by Houthi boats, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The recent Houthis attacks, which were initially directed against ships linked to Israel before extending to ships linked to the United States, have shaken global markets and turned international shipping routes upside down.
Tensions in the Red Sea have entered a remarkable phase of escalation since, on January 9, the Houthis directly targeted an American ship, after they were targeting, within the framework of solidarity with the Gaza Strip, cargo ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel.
