According to CCTV News, on May 25th local time, the Central Command of the United States posted on its social media platform that the Yemeni Husai militants fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea at around 3:50 am Sana'a time. There are currently no reports of casualties or equipment damage from the United States, coalition forces, or commercial ships.
The Yemeni Husai armed forces have not responded to this at the moment.
On May 24th, the Husai armed forces announced an attack on three ships.
First action: Multiple ballistic missiles were aimed at MSC's "MSC Alexandra" container ship sailing in the Arabian Sea;
Second action: Targeted the bulk cargo ship "Yannis" owned by the Greek shipowner Eastern Mediterranean Maritime sailing in the Red Sea;
The third operation: Several missiles were fired at a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessel, ESSEX, operated and managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, sailing in the Mediterranean.
The statement was released by Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Hussai military, on social media, indicating that the range of attacks by the Hussai armed forces has expanded to a wider sea area.
The Yemeni Housai armed forces once again warned in a statement that all companies engaged in transactions with Israeli entities, regardless of their destination, will become targets within designated areas of operation
Given the escalating situation in the Red Sea, several shipping giants have announced the suspension of the Suez Red Sea route.
On May 13, Usama Rabiyah, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, stated in a speech to the Egyptian parliament that since November 2023, the escalating tensions in the Red Sea region have forced nearly 3400 ships to change course and sail towards Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, without entering the Suez Canal.
The International Monetary Fund recently stated that the shipping volume of the Suez Canal in April this year decreased by two-thirds compared to the same period last year, exacerbating global trade disruptions.
According to data from the Suez Canal Authority in Egypt, the overall trade volume through the Suez Canal plummeted by 50% year-on-year in the first two months of 2024.
Not only the Suez Canal, but also multiple ports on the Asia Europe route have experienced the same situation. In Saudi Arabia, the previously bustling and bustling port of Jeddah has also become deserted. At the center of the Red Sea crisis, the daily import volume of Yemen's larger port Aden plummeted from over 19000 tons in the same period last year to 6500 tons. Currently, there is often no cargo ship docked at the port of Aden.
Ports in southeastern Europe have also been affected. In January 2024, the freight volume at the Piraeus port container terminal in Greece decreased by 12.7% year-on-year.
With the large-scale diversion of ships to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, the trade flow in southern Africa has increased significantly. Faced with the sudden increase in shipping demand, serious congestion has occurred in ports such as Elizabeth, waiting ports, and Nkura in South Africa,
In addition, due to some companies choosing to unload their goods at ports in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula and then transport them by land to the western or northern regions of the Middle East or Africa, ports in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, such as Dubai Port in the United Arab Emirates and Dammam Port in Saudi Arabia, have seen rapid growth in cargo throughput.
Shipping giant Maersk previously stated that in the foreseeable future, the company will continue to send ships to bypass Africa. This means that transportation capacity will decrease and costs will continue to increase. Recently, Maersk announced an increase in FAK rates for European routes and announced the imposition of peak season surcharges (PSS) on multiple shipping routes with multiple shipping companies.
Source: Souhang Network
