confirm! Suspend Red Sea operations!

Unlike several rivals, CMA CGM has continued to send ships through waters where the Houthis have been carrying out attacks with drones and missiles for more than two months. But now the world's third-largest shipping company has decided to stop.

"Shipping in the southern Red Sea region is suspended until further notice," the company said in response to ShippingWatch.

This comes after the U.S. military assessed last week that KOI, a container ship operated by CMA CGM, was the intended target of two ballistic missile attacks. The missile eventually hit the water without causing any damage to the M/V KOI ship or its crew.

Before the decision, CMA CGM was one of the few major carriers to retain the Red Sea route to the vital trade artery of the Suez Canal. This was partly because the company was escorted by French navy warships.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that CMA CGM, a major French container shipping company, would no longer sail through the Red Sea, citing anonymous sources. The shipping company reportedly made the decision on Friday and informed its employees. The decision was taken due to security risks as several ships were attacked while sailing in the area. But the news was not confirmed at the time.

CMA CGM’s decision comes after several major competitors in the container industry, including big names such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and Cosco, chose to abandon shorter routes through dangerous areas and the Suez Canal. . The carriers initially reported outages and temporary calls, but this has since progressed to no shipping lines operating in the area.