TURMOIL in the Red Sea will likely hamper shipping transit for at least a few months, according to the chief executive officer of transport giant AP Moller – Maersk.

Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea prompted the Danish company to earlier this month divert its ships south of Africa “for the foreseeable future.”

The Houthis have since fired missiles on commercial ships, and the US and the UK have carried out air strikes and drone attacks against them.

“For us, this will mean longer transit times and probably disruption of supply chains for a few months at least,” CEO Vincent Clerc said on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday (Jan 17).

While Clerc said he hopes the unrest will end sooner than that, he said “it could also be longer because it’s so unpredictable how this situation is developing.” He called the situation in the Red Sea “extremely disruptive,” given close to 20 per cent of global trade transits through the area.

“It’s hard to see that there can possibly be any winners, there will only be losers in the end,” Clerc said. “It’s very unclear what is the treatment that is necessary. I don’t think you can treat this in isolation.”

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American and British forces last week launched about 70 air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in a bid to stop the Iran-backed group’s shipping attacks in the Red Sea.

On Tuesday, the US said its drones had struck another four Houthi missiles to prevent an imminent attack.

Lawmakers in Denmark, Maersk’s home country, are set to approve a resolution to participate in the US-led military operation in the area.

The Nordic country wants to send a frigate with as many as 175 personnel to help patrol the region and protect vessels transiting the area. The European Union, too, is moving ahead with plans to establish a new naval operation in the Red Sea. BLOOMBERG