A spokesperson for the German container shipping company, Hapag Lloyd, has informed Reuters news agency that they will continue to divert their vessels around the Suez Canal for security reasons, Al Jazeera reports.

A recent spate of attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on vessels in the Red Sea has resulted in a number of shipping companies opting for alternative routes.

Hapag Lloyd would make another security assessment on January 2, the spokesperson said.