French container ship CMA CGM Tage was fired upon by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group on Wednesday, the rebel group claims in a statement published on the social media site X.

”The naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces carried out an operation targeting the ship, CMA CGM TAGE, which was traveling toward the ports of occupied Palestine,” the Houthi statement said, according to AFP.

Since Nov. 19 last year, the Yemen-based Houthi rebel movement has carried out 24 drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and at the entrance to the vital Suez Canal transit route for the global shipping industry.

The Houthis attacked the CMA CGM ship, a 9,400 teu container vessel bound for Alexandria, Egypt, where it is due to arrive on January 6, according to the VesselsValue database.

The Iran-backed rebel group said it attacked the Malta-flagged cargo ship believing it was heading to the occupied Palestinian territory. The ship was not hit, according to AFP.

CMA CGM, which has sent ships – at least one of which has been escorted by a French frigate – through the Red Sea during the conflict, has not confirmed the incident. 

The Houthis, who control much of impoverished Yemen and have been fighting a civil war since 2014, say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians because of Israel’s war against Hamas.

The Houthi attacks, centered around the entrance to the Red Sea at the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, have caused chaos so that at least 18 shipping companies have now chosen to avoid the Red Sea and instead sail south of the tip of Africa. 

A longer journey of 4000 nautical miles, which also adds 10-14 days to the voyage. 12% of global trade sails through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal shortcut.

Following the latest attack, French operator CMA CGM announced a major price increase, doubling a 40-foot container between Asia and the Western Mediterranean from USD 3,000 to USD 6,000.

MSC has also raised prices as ships are being diverted to southern Africa instead of crossing the Red Sea.

On Tuesday, Maersk extended its suspension of sailings through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, ”until further notice.”

Launched missiles on Tuesday as well

The Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at merchant ships near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait late Tuesday, the US military said earlier.

None of the commercial ships in the vicinity reported any damage, US Central Command said.

”These illegal actions endangered the lives of dozens of innocent mariners and continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce,” CENTCOM said on the X.

The Houthis have warned that they will attack ships in the Red Sea that are connected to Israel. Several of their missiles and drones have been shot down by US, French and British warships.

In response to the attacks, the US has created a multinational naval force to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

(Translated using DeepL with additional editing by Idha Toft Valeur)