From gCaptain, January 8:
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Shares of the Israeli shipping company Zim plunged over 17 percent in premarket trading today following reports that their Chinese partner COSCO is withdrawing from Israel. However, Wall Street shipping analysts suggest that this development is not the sole factor unsettling the market. ShippingWatch, a Danish maritime news service, has reported rumors that a containership line may have bribed Houthi officials to avoid targeting their vessels.
The news, reported by ShippingWatch—a subsidiary of Denmark’s Watch Media Group—alleges that in late December, a shipping carrier struck a deal with Houthi militants, agreeing not to target their vessels. This agreement comes amid an escalating threat level in the Red Sea and the United States’ challenges securing allied support for the US Navy-led Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG).
As of this morning, none of the sources we’ve consulted at gCaptain have any knowledge of negotiations involving ship owners and two main carriers have denied participating in any bribes....
....MUCH MORE
