Energy company follows decisions by five big shipping firms as Houthi militants step up attacks on vessels

BP has halted all shipments of oil and gas through the Red Sea after a step-up in attacks on cargo ships by Houthi militants in Yemen.

The British oil company said on Tuesday that it had paused shipping in the region indefinitely, citing a “deteriorating security situation” amid tensions in the Middle East.

BP becomes the first oil company to directly halt its own shipping, after five big shipping companies stopped their vessels passing through the waters between Asia and Africa which connect Asia and Europe, with the Suez canal at the tip.