Rome (agencies)
Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini announced yesterday that the G7 countries, which his country will assume the presidency during 2024, have established a “permanent round table” regarding Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Salvini said, during a press conference following the meeting of the G7 transport ministers, which began last Thursday and concluded yesterday in Milan, northern Italy: “We gave the green light to create a permanent round table.”
In addition to Italy, the G7 includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.
“In this way, we do not need other official meetings of the G7, and we can also talk by phone in emergency situations,” the Italian minister said, stressing the “economic problem” represented by these attacks.
He pointed out that due to the risks involved in crossing the Red Sea, “traffic across the African continent increased by 130 percent, with an increase in navigation time of no less than ten days,” which led to an increase in the cost of transporting containers. “The problem is that these costs are borne by consumers,” he added.
In addition, an Iranian naval force detained a container ship named “MCS Ariz” “linked” to Israel near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the official Iranian news agency “IRNA”. The agency said that Iranian naval forces seized a container ship named “MCS Ariz” in an operation carried out by a helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
The official agency explained that the ship was on its way to Iranian territorial waters.
Prior to that, two maritime security agencies announced that regional authorities had confiscated a ship in the same area.
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