International trade tensions are rising As a result of the war in the Middle East. Iranian warship ‘Alborz’ completely entered the Red Sea Tension rises on the sea route passing through the Suez Canal. The main maritime link between China and Europe is under threat from the Middle East conflict and attacks by Houthi forces allied with Tehran. Iran’s Tasnim news agency did not provide details of Alborz’s mission, but Iranian warships have been operating in the region’s open waters since 2009 to secure sea lanes and combat piracy. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea Since November, it has shown support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war with Israel.
The deployment of Iranian ships on the sea route adds some more uncertainty and Many major shipping companies have already chosen to stay away from the area and diverting ships to the longer, more expensive route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope rather than the Suez Canal, which carries about 12% of world trade. There is approximately another 9 thousand kilometers and 15 days delay in the arrival of the ships. Increases freight cost by approximately 25%. This will affect the supply of technology and finished products from China and the Asian region to Europe. According to Iran’s Press TV, in addition to ‘Alborz’, the ‘Bushehr’ support ship is also in the region.
attack this weekend
Houthi militants attacked a Maersk container ship with missiles and small boats this Saturday and Sunday, prompting the company to suspend all its sailings in the Red Sea for 48 hours. US military helicopters repelled the attacks and killed 10 Houthi militants.
Maersk sources announced that the ship ‘Maersk Hangzhou’ with a capacity of 14,000 containers was received from Prensa Ibérica group to El Periódico. The ship was attacked after passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait No injuries were reported among the crew en route from Singapore to Egypt’s Port of Suez. The attack occurred 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, when it was struck by an unknown object. There was no fire on board and the ship was able to continue its journey north. The same sources say that after the first attack on the ship, four ships approached and opened fire to board. “A helicopter from a nearby Navy ship was deployed and, working with the ship’s security team, an attempt to board the ship was successfully repelled.” The Maersk board is currently working to determine and assess the level of safety in the region in order to make changes to the routes.
Despite the attacks Shipping company continues to plan voyages via Suez Canal. Despite the risk of attack and the timid defense of the West, the Danish company plans to have more than 30 container ships pass through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the coming days, according to the current schedule. Some ships will be diverted.
Threat to trade routes
The Houthi group, which controls parts of Yemen after years of war, began attacking international ships crossing the Red Sea in November, saying it was a response to Israel’s attack on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Major global shipping groups, including container giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, They partially stopped using the Red Sea and Suez Canal routes last monthInstead, we head for a longer journey around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. However, on December 24, Maersk announced that it was preparing to return to the Red Sea, citing the launch of a US-led military operation to protect the ships.
The company said its top priority is the safety of crew, ships and cargo, and plans are updated on a “ship by ship” basis. Some will travel via Suez and others will take a longer route around Africa. A detailed comparison of Maersk’s latest route with the route published last week showed that the company has suspended plans for at least 17 ships to pass through the Red Sea, Reuters reported.
Shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said on Friday it had decided to continue diverting its ships away from the Suez and Red Sea. security reasonsHe added that an evaluation will be made in the future.
The Suez Canal is used by about a third of the world’s container ship cargo, and rerouting ships around the southern tip of Africa is expected to cost up to an additional $1 million in fuel for each round-trip between Asia and Northern Europe.