French shipping company denies attack by Yemeni Houthis in Red Sea
The French shipping company CMA CGM said one of its container ships in the Red Sea was unharmed after Yemen’s Houthis claimed on Wednesday to have targeted it, as part of its ongoing attack of commercial shipping vessels it considers to be doing business with Israel.
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The Houthis' military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech Wednesday that the group, which controls much of Yemen, including the capital, had "targeted" the CMA CGM Tage container ship, without giving details on when or where the incident had taken place.
The day before, the United States Central Command (Centcom) said the group had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the southern Red Sea.
Since October, the Houthis have attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea that they say are sailing to Israel or have Israeli links, to protest Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza.
A spokesperson for the French shipping company told the Reuters news agency that said the ship was unharmed and there had been “no incident”, and said the vessel was headed to Egypt and not Israel.
Attacks will continue
Sarea said the Houthis would continue attacks until aid enters Gaza, and issued another warning to the United States.
"No US attack will pass without a response or punishment," he said.
US warships have shot down Houthi-fired weapons, as part of a naval task force created with other countries to protect civilian vessels. On Sunday, it sank Houthi speed boats.
Members of the UN Security Council have called on the Houthis to stop their attacks, saying they threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and global food supplies.
The United States’ representative to the UN said the situation has reached an "inflection point", and the attacks “pose grave implications for maritime security, international shipping and commerce, and they undermine the fragile humanitarian situation in Yemen".
The US, British and Israeli representatives accused Iran of supporting the Houthi strikes, a charge Tehran has denied.
Some members urged the council to take action, but the council took no formal steps.
Shipping rerouting, raising prices
Countries have joined forces in calling for the Houthis to stop their attacks.
Before the Security Council meeting, the US and 12 other countries issues a joint statement warning that the Houthis "will bear the responsibility of the consequences" if attacks persist.
Major shipping lines have suspended their operations through the Red Sea in response to the threat.
Companies that are continuing to ship are raising rates, as they are rerouting cargo on longer trips around the southern tip of Africa.
CMA CGM said it would increase its container shipping rates from Asia to the Mediterranean region by up to 100 percent as of 15 January, until further notice.
Prices for shipments to the East Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Black Sea and Syria were also sharply raised.
Danish shipping giant Maersk has tripled its rates for its Europe to Asia route since December.
On Tuesday it said that it would continue a pause on cargo moving through the Red Sea, after announcing a 48-hour pause on 31 December after Houthis attacked its Hangzhou container ship.
(with Reuters)
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