A spokesman for the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said on Tuesday that the German company does not expect the shipping industry to resume sailing through the Suez Canal any time soon, even if a ceasefire can be reached in Gaza now.
The statements of the fifth largest shipping company in the world come after Palestinian factions welcomed the UN Security Council resolution supporting a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Shares of Hapag-Lloyd and its Danish counterpart, Maersk, fell by five to six percent this afternoon due to this news.
The spokesman said: “Even if there is a ceasefire now, this does not mean that Houthi attacks will stop immediately.”
Hapag-Lloyd added that even after traffic through the Suez Canal resumes, it will take at least four to six weeks to rearrange schedules and return operations to normal.
Commercial shipping is facing disruptions globally, including in the Red Sea region, where ship operators are avoiding passage through the Suez Canal due to attacks on ships by Houthi militants based in Yemen.
Maersk declined to comment on this news.
Its CEO said in February that the company would need a permanent solution before considering a return to the Red Sea.
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