A MAJOR union has called for a complete cessation of merchant ships navigating through the Red Sea, joining the chorus of voices urging vessels to reassess their voyages following a Houthi attack that claimed the lives of three sailors, reports Bloomberg.

"We call on the industry to divert ships around the Cape of Good Hope until safe transit through the Red Sea can be guaranteed," said the International Transport Workers Federation.

"No delivery window is worth the loss of seafarers lives."

THE ITF advocates for the rights of seafarers through collaboration with over 700 affiliated trade unions.

This call echoes a similar plea made earlier by Nautilus International, one of the largest crewing unions globally.

Tragedy struck when two crew members from the Philippines and one from Vietnam lost their lives in a Houthi attack on the bulk commodities vessel True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden.

Additionally, at least two other sailors sustained injuries.

This incident marks the first fatalities among crew members in the militants' campaign against commercial shipping in one of the world's busiest waterways and follows the recent sinking of another vessel.

It raises pertinent questions regarding the level of risk shipowners are willing to assume while ensuring the safety of their crews and cargoes.

Currently, most merchant vessels are circumventing the region by navigating around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.