Recently, after the United States announced the formation of a "multinational Red Sea escort alliance", the Houthis responded that "they will target the ships of all countries acting against them", which also means that its targets have expanded from ships related to Israel to ships related to many Western countries. According to the report, the current situation in the Red Sea will make Europe face the most direct and serious impact.
At a time when the West is losing money over the Red Sea issue, Moscow's maritime trade transactions, which rely on the "Arctic route", are increasing. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev previously said that Russia is actively expanding the volume of trade through the Arctic route, which is expected to reach an all-time high in 2023, "exceeding 36 million tons."
In this context, the Houthi attack on Red Sea ships could reshape global commercial power, according to the analysis.
Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers that provide navigational safety for the Arctic shipping lanes, which are located in Arctic waters and in Russia's exclusive economic zone. Photo according to Visual China
Oil shipments doubled
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has turned the Red Sea into a "global oil corridor"
It is reported that after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Red Sea shipping route has become more important, Europe has begun to seek to avoid Russian oil and become more dependent on energy from the Middle East, while Moscow is also seeking other buyers, which has about doubled the volume of oil transportation in the Red Sea, the "Eurasian hub".
In the two months leading up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia was shipping 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day through its western ports to markets east of the Suez Canal, namely markets in the Middle East and Asia, according to Kpler, a global trade data tracking firm. In the past six months, that number has soared to 1.7 million barrels per day. During the same period, crude oil shipments from the Middle East to European countries also jumped to 1.3 million barrels per day, up from about 870,000 barrels per day previously.
The report pointed out that almost all crude oil shipped from Russia's western ports needs to pass through the Red Sea port, so the security of the Red Sea has also become a concern for Russia. However, given the relationship with Iran, the Houthis may not pose a direct threat to Russian ships, but there may be a risk of accidental attack.
As Russia's influence in the Middle East grows, the West is losing control of the Red Sea-Suez Canal, a key trade route, the report said. "On rough seas, the West (trade) has to deal not only with natural challenges, but also with subtle geopolitical changes. The report said.
The volume of cargo on the Russian Arctic route reached a new high
Economists shout to Europe: Do you want to think about it?
"The Suez Canal-Red Sea route is a bit difficult to walk? Should Europe consider Russia's Arctic route?" British economist and author Tony Norfield said on social platforms on the 21st that Europe can kindly request the use of Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers, "This kind of ship is already helping Russia export fuel to Asia." ”
Russia is pushing for the Arctic route to replace the Suez Canal. Screenshot of CCTV news report
As previously reported, Russia wants the Arctic Sea Route to become a major route for freight between Europe and Asia, which has a shorter transit time compared to the traditional route through the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal. Compared to the traditional Russian route from the western port through the Suez Canal to Asian countries, the new route from the western port via the Arctic route to Asian countries will shorten the voyage by about 10 days.
According to the report, the Arctic shipping corridor is a transport corridor within Russia's exclusive economic zone, which Russia has been actively developing for the past eight years. It is reported that due to the freezing of the sea, the Arctic shipping lanes are closed from the end of each year to May of the following year, and Russia is expected to use nuclear-powered icebreakers next year to allow the Arctic shipping lanes to operate all year round.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev has said that the Arctic shipping route is fast becoming an important global trade route and a better alternative to the Suez Canal and Panama Canal routes. "If the Suez Canal is blocked, ships will not be able to pass through it, which will never happen in the Arctic shipping lanes. He also said that by the end of this year, cargo traffic through the Arctic shipping lanes is expected to exceed 36 million tons, a nine-fold increase from 2015, and is expected to exceed 50 million tons next year.
Red Star News reporter Li Jinrui Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency
Editor: Zhang Xun, Editor: Deng Minguang
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