Sawt Falasteen - Maersk suspends vessel transit through Strait of Hormuz

The Danish group was the latest of several shipping groups to make similar announcements after Iran's Revolutionary Guards declared the strait closed on Saturday.

"We have decided... to pause future Trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the time being," Maersk said in an online advisory.

"We are suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice," it added.

"The safety of our crews, vessels and customers' cargo remains our key priority."

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway through which passes nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies, as well as a significant amount of cargo to and from Gulf ports.

Egypt's Suez Canal is the region's other vital waterway, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, a long relied-on shortcut from Europe to Asia's ports on the Indian Ocean.

Maersk said it would be rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope -- the southern tip of Africa -- adding thousands of miles to the journey.

It also said it would be closing its offices in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.

- 'Maximum caution' -

MSC, another big shipping company, told its vessels in the Gulf "to proceed to designated safe shelter areas until further notice".

State media in Oman, which sits on the other side of the strait, said Sunday an oil tanker off its coast had been targeted and four of its crew hurt.

And the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said Sunday that another ship, this one off the UAE's coast also near the Strait of Hormuz, reported being hit "by an unknown projectile causing a fire".

International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement Sunday: "I urge all shipping companies to exercise maximum caution.

"Where possible, vessels should avoid transiting the affected region until conditions improve," he added.

Already on Saturday, two other major shipping firms had warned its vessels away from the area for security reasons.

German shipowners Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth largest in the world, said it was suspending traffic by its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

And France's CMA CGM told its vessels in the Gulf to "take shelter" and also suspended passage through the Suez Canal.

N.Awad--SF-PST