Shipping giant Maersk has suspended all containment shipments through the Red Sea following a series of missile and drone attacks on vessels.

The Danish firm said it was making the move after a “near-miss” involving its Maersk Gibraltar ship on Thursday, followed by another attack on Friday.

It comes after Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed to target vessels in the Red Sea in an attempt to put pressure on Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip.

The incidents have raised fears that global supply chains could be severely disrupted if the attacks, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, continue.

The narrow, busy waterway is a key maritime trade route for ships heading to and from the Suez Canal.

A spokesperson for the Danish company said: “Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and yet another attack on a container vessel today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab el Mandeb Strait to pause their journey until further notice.”

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Earlier this week, the Norwegian-owned MT Strinda tanker caught fire after it was also hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen.

Shipping firm Mowinckel said the vessel was carrying biofuel from Malaysia to Italy, but later disclosed it had also been “tentatively” scheduled to make a stop at the Israeli port of Ashdod.

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