First modification:
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea do not stop, while companies and countries divert their cargo ships, decisions that increase logistics costs and delay deliveries. The Houthis, supported by Iran, expanded the list of their objectives and added American ships, however, an oil company challenges them.
Tension in the Red Sea continues to rise, as attacks by Yemen's Houthis on cargo ships continue and the United States and Britain seek to disarm the group, which is supported by Iran.
The Houthis claim they are acting as a sign of support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing war in Gaza against the US-backed Israeli Army.
This Wednesday, January 17, the general director of the Maersk shipping company, Vincent Clerc, anticipated, during his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), that they will be complex months for that route, which is one of the most important, as represent 12% of world maritime trade.
As estimated by Standard & Poor's, shipments of liquefied natural gas from Qatar passing through the Suez Canal (in the Red Sea) are 14.8 million tons per year, US shipments are 8.8 million tons and Russian shipments of 3.7 million tons.
“For us, this will mean longer transit times and probably supply chain disruptions for at least a few months, hopefully shorter, but it could also be longer because it is very unpredictable how this situation is actually developing,” he said. Clerc.
Since the attacks began, Maersk and other major shipping lines have instructed hundreds of commercial vessels to stay away from the Red Sea, sending ships around the Cape of Good Hope, the longest route around Africa.
In the last few hours, it became known that three of the four tankers used to transport cargoes of liquefied natural gas from Qatar changed courseor, moving away from the Red Sea, and took the Cape of Good Hope.
Qatar is the world's second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. In 2023, it exported more than 75 million tons of liquefied natural gas, according to LSEG data, including 14 million to buyers in Europe and 56.4 million to Asia, Reuters recovered.
Meanwhile, the United States oil giant Chevron announced that it will continue sailing through the Red Sea, despite the Houthis announcing attacks on ships from that country.
The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen since the civil war broke out in 2014, are part of the self-proclaimed “axis of resistance”, which includes Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah and other armed movements hostile to Israel and supported by Iran.
With Reuters.
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