Response to Red Sea Incident... HMM Deploys Temporary Vessels on Europe Routes

Secured 4 Vessels Through Route Reallocation for Emergency Deployment
Scheduled to Depart from Busan Starting Mid-January

As the Yemeni Houthi rebels attack civilian vessels passing through the Red Sea, causing blockages in the Suez Canal route, HMM is deploying temporary ships on its Europe routes to address the 'Red Sea risk.'

On the 10th, HMM announced that it will urgently deploy four temporary vessels on its Europe and Mediterranean routes to transport export cargoes destined for Europe from domestic exporters.

This move aims to assist domestic exporters facing difficulties due to extended sailing times caused by attacks on ships by the Yemeni Houthi rebels. Typically, vessels traveling from Asia to Europe and the Mediterranean pass through the Suez Canal. Recently, the Yemeni Houthi rebels have attacked ships passing through the Red Sea and Suez route, forcing domestic and international shipping companies to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. As a result, sailing days have increased by more than 15 days (round trip) compared to before.

In particular, as the shortage of space for Europe-bound shipments is expected to worsen after mid-January, HMM decided to deploy temporary vessels on the Europe and Mediterranean routes. One 11,000 TEU (1 TEU equals one 6-meter container) class container ship will be deployed on the Northern Europe route, departing from Busan on the 18th. On the Mediterranean route, three container ships of 4,000 to 6,000 TEU class will depart from Busan on January 15, 29, and February 4, respectively.

An HMM official explained, "Since there are no spare vessels available, deploying temporary ships requires reallocating vessels from other routes, causing operational difficulties. However, we decided to deploy temporary vessels to ensure smooth exports for domestic companies."