After attacks on Maersk and Hapag-Lloiyd vessels transiting the Red Sea last week, two MSC vessels with no known connection to Israel were also threatened while in the area.

MSC Palatium III was attacked on Friday, 15 December 2023, when a missile was fired at the ship by Houthi militants. The carrier reported limited fire damage while the crew remained safe and unharmed. Following this incident, the vessel was taken out of service.

Kuehne+Nagel's seaexplorer tracking shows the ship sailed for Djibouti and remains there this morning.

In addition to this attack, a second MSC vessel, sailing from Salalah to Jeddah, was warned by militants not to enter the Red Sea. MSC Alanya was ordered to turn around but continued to sail north towards Jeddah. It is reported to be safe and unharmed.

The vessel's exact position is unknown; however, its last known location was near Jeddah on 17 December.

Carriers re-route vessels after attacks

After the latest attacks on its vessels and those of other carriers, the world's largest carrier has decided to re-route services via the Cape of Good Hope.

"Due to this incident and to protect the lives and safety of our seafarers, until the Red Sea passage is safe, MSC ships will not transit the Suez Canal Eastbound and Westbound."

In the last week, carriers such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA-CGM and OOCL also announced they would suspend transits through the Red Sea.

Kuehne+Nagel is monitoring this developing situation closely and working to minimise delay to your cargo. Our Kuehne+Nagel advisory details our efforts to support customers with affected shipments. For further assistance, please get in touch with your local Kuehne+Nagel representative.