2024-01-05 16:15:27
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 19 minutes ago, Updated 15 minutes ago
Bypassing the Red Sea has a cost, which is directly reflected in the price of containers. RENE VAN QUEKELBERGHE / REUTERS
The shipping giant had already suspended all passage through these waters following attacks by Houthi rebels which are disrupting international trade.
A security riskconsiderably high“. The Danish maritime transport giant Maersk announced that it would divert its fleet through southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea this Friday, January 5. It had already suspended all passage through these waters following attacks by Houthi rebels which are disrupting international trade. “All Maersk vessels transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope in the near future“, indicated the carrier in a press release.
On Tuesday, Maersk indicated that it would not resume the passage of its fleet through a strategic strait in the Red Sea, suspended two days previously after the attack by Houthi rebels against one of its ships, the second in less than a month. Since November 18, 25 commercial boats traveling in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been attacked.
10 to 20 more days of travel
«We are aware of the potential impact of this decision on your logistics operations, but please be assured that all decisions have been carefully considered and prioritize the safety of our ships, our sailors and your cargo», Wrote the shipowner for his customers. Circumventing Africa via the Cape of Good Hope extends the journey between Asia and Europe by 10 to 20 days on average, according to Arthur Barillas, general manager of Ovrsea, a freight forwarder.
Maersk claims to want to prepare for unforeseen events: “By suspending travel across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we hope to provide our customers with greater consistency and predictability despite delays associated with rerouting“, he indicated.
Also read: Escorts, interceptions, strikes in Yemen… How the anti-Houthi coalition could act in the Red Sea
(Very) expensive precautions
This detour, also carried out by other shipping companies in a non-systematic manner, has a cost: $400 per 40-foot container, to which is added between $600 and $2,000 per container surcharge linked to the high season. CMA CGM, which plans “to gradually increase transit (…) through the Suez Canal”, doubled the price of a 40-foot container between Asia and the Mediterranean (from 3,000 to 6,000 dollars).
These increases are reminiscent of the Covid years, during which freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to the disorganization of supply chains. One of the benchmark indicators for measuring the freight rate (tariff) of goods transported from China, the Shanghai Contained Freight Index (SCFI), has almost doubled in a few weeks.
On Wednesday, 12 countries urged the Houthis to stop “immediately their illegal attacks» against ships in the Red Sea, threatening them with “consequences“. The United States set up in December, with other countries, an international coalition to protect maritime traffic from attacks by the Houthis, in this strategic zone where 12% of world trade passes. The Houthis, who say they are in solidarity with Palestinian Hamas in the war between it and Israel in the Gaza Strip, have warned that they will target ships sailing off the coast of Yemen with links to Israel.
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