Shipping firms respond to Houthi attacks in Red Sea

(Reuters) -Attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Iran-aligned Houthi militants have disrupted a shipping route vital to east-west trade, with prolonged rerouting of shipments pushing freight rates higher and causing congestion in Asian and European ports.

Below are some actions and comments by major shipping companies and freight forwarders, in alphabetical order:

CMA CGM

The French shipping group suspended most Red Sea voyages, though its CEO Rodolphe Saade said in February it was still sending some cargoes on a case by case basis when French navy escorts were possible.

DIANA SHIPPING

"Suez Canal transits are running about 40% below those seen during the first half of December last year. This is partially the result of several operators including ourselves avoiding the area," President Anastasios Margaronis said in February.

DSV

The world's third-largest freight forwarder DSV said in July that higher freight volume boosted earnings in the second quarter. It also expects a positive impact from the disruptions in the second half of the year.

EVERGREEN

The Taiwanese container shipping line said in December its vessels on regional services to Red Sea ports would sail to safe waters nearby, while ships scheduled to pass through the Red Sea would be rerouted around Africa.

HAPAG-LLOYD

The German container shipping line decided in January to reroute its vessels around Africa until further notice.

"For the moment, we plan to go around the Cape of Good Hope until the end of the year," CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said on Aug. 14.

The company said in June it did not expect the industry to resume sailing in the Red Sea even if a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was reached immediately.

It has also said the disruptions and global vessel oversupply would force it to cut expenses in 2024, including adapting sailings.

KUEHNE + NAGEL

The Swiss logistics group said in March it expected the impact from the disruptions to last into the coming quarters.

It said on July 23 the impact on its business was minimal, and it was ready for higher second-half demand after increased use of its Sea-Air Logistics service.

MAERSK

Maersk said on Aug. 1 it expected the disruptions to continue at least until the end of 2024, as it raised its full-year outlook again partly due to the crisis.

The Danish group, which has suspended Red Sea traffic, said in July it was experiencing a cascading impact from disruptions in the region, with congestions to its entire ocean network.

MSC

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said in December its ships would not transit through the Suez Canal.

NIPPON YUSEN

Japan's biggest shipper by sales suspended navigation through the Red Sea for all vessels, a spokesperson told Reuters in January.

OCEAN NETWORK EXPRESS

The joint venture between Japan's Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Nippon Yusen said in December it would reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope or temporarily pause journeys and move to safe areas.

OOCL

The Hong Kong-headquartered container group said in December it had instructed vessels to either divert away from the Red Sea or suspend sailing. It also stopped accepting cargo to and from Israel until further notice.

(Compiled by Paolo Laudani, Izabela Niemiec, Jesus Calero, Louis van Boxel-Woolf, Tristan Veyet, Elsa Ohlen, Tomasz Kanik and Olga Sawczuk in Gdansk; Editing by Alexander Smith, Miral Fahmy and Milla Nissi)