Terror threatens Pinoy mariners
“The attack on commercial vessels placed on the line Filipino mariners who dominated the crew of sea liners.
Daily Tribune“The attack on commercial vessels placed on the line Filipino mariners who dominated the crew of sea liners.
As terrorists shift their campaign from Gaza to the global shipping lanes to disrupt trade while the world is still playing catch up from the supply chain crisis caused by the pandemic, giant lines operated by predominantly Filipinos are in peril.
An American destroyer said on Saturday that it shot down more than a dozen drones in the Red Sea launched from areas of Yemen bandits called Houthis, which are known to be among the proxy armies of Iran.
Houthis have been conducting increasingly daring raids on commercial vessels in support of the pogromist group Hamas, whose members are decimated in the relentless offensive of Israel. At the same time, their leaders hie off to safe havens in Qatar and Iran.
The US military has confirmed the impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict has spread to global shipping lanes.
The destroyed drones were armed and had as apparent targets large cargo vessels.
Yemeni officials and Sunni states have repeatedly alleged that Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have provided arms, training, and financial support to the Houthis.
The United States, in coordination with Saudi Arabia, has presented evidence of Iranian arms transfers to the group.
Four major shipping firms have decided to suspend passage through the Bab al-Mandab strait, through which 40 percent of the world's international trade flows.
Due to security risks, MSC, the world's largest shipping carrier, said its ships will not transit the Suez Canal.
It joined shipping giants Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, which had earlier paused travel through the Red Sea.
MSC's container ship, Palatium III, was attacked Friday while transiting the Red Sea under a subcharter to Messina Line.
"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.
Already, some services will be rerouted to the Cape of Good Hope instead.
The shipping lines said the rerouting would affect schedules and delay by several days, putting more strain on supply channels, particularly during the peak Holiday period.
Danish company Maersk, the world's second-largest container shipping company, moves 14.8 percent of the world's trade. It said it would divert ships away from the Red Sea.
A Maersk spokesperson said the company is deeply concerned about the highly escalated security situation in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Hapag-Lloyd, which controls about 7 percent of the global container ship fleet, told CNBC in an email, that it will "pause all container ship traffic through the Red Sea until Monday. Then we will decide for the period thereafter."
The attack on commercial vessels placed on the line Filipino mariners who dominated the crew of sea liners.
Filipino sailors of nearly half a million maintain responsibility for sailing ships worldwide, making them a vital cog in keeping the world's supply chains moving and ensuring the safety of both ship passengers and cargo.
Thus, one in five sailors of commercial vessels are Filipinos, making them vulnerable to any terrorist attack.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had expressed grave concern over the fate of 17 Filipinos who are hostages of the Houthis, saying that the government is negotiating with Iran for their release.
Houthis took control of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on 19 November in the southern Red Sea following a daring helicopter-borne attack.
Filipinos are on the frontline in the new development as the world struggles against the minions of terror to keep ships vital to the global economy sailing.