A.P. Moller–Maersk announced a follow-up to its January 2 decision to pause all vessels bound for the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden in light of a recent incident involving the attack on one of its vessels, "Maersk Hangzhou" and ongoing developments in the area.

In a customer advisory on January 5, the Danish logistics and shipping company said the situation is constantly evolving and remains highly volatile in the Red Sea.

"Available intelligence at hand confirms that the security risk continues to be at a significantly elevated level," Maersk said.

"We have therefore decided that all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future," it added.

Maersk acknowledged the potential impact it will have on logistics operations, but also assured its customers that "all decisions have been carefully considered and ultimately prioritise the safety of our vessels, seafarers and your cargo."

"By suspending voyages through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden, we hope to bring our customers more consistency and predictability despite the associated delays that come with the re-routing," it said.

"While we continue to hope for a sustainable resolution in the near future and do all we can to contribute towards it, we do encourage customers to prepare for complications in the area to persist and for there to be significant disruption to the global network."

Maersk added that vessel contingencies will continue to be communicated with customers on a case-by-case basis.

Meanwhile, it said that the previously announced Transit Disruption Surcharge (TDS), Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) and Emergency Contingency Surcharge (ECS) for all cargo on vessels affected by the disruptions around the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden remain in effect.