Denmark's Maersk announced on Sunday that it is getting ready to start shipping again in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden after it halted sending vessels through the Bab el-Mandeb strait earlier in December due to attacks against its ships. "As of Sunday 24 December 2023, we have received confirmation that the previously announced multi-national security initiative Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) has now been set up and deployed to allow maritime commerce to pass through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway between Asia and Europe," Maersk said in a statement on Sunday. "With the OPG initiative in operation, we are preparing to allow for vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea both eastbound and westbound," the statement read. The shipping company said it would release further details in the coming days. However, it stated that it could go back to diverting its ships depending on the safety conditions in the area. Moreover, the United States announced on Tuesday that it was initiating a multinational operation to safeguard Red Sea trade from the attacks that have been disturbing the navigation movement in the area since last month.
