According to a CCTV News report on December 31, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement that on December 30, local time, the U.S. Navy shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at warships from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
U.S. Central Command also said a Singaporean-flagged container ship operated by Denmark reported being hit by a missile. According to the U.S. Central Command, this is the 23rd illegal attack on international shipping by the Houthis since November 19.
ACCORDING TO THE FINANCIAL ASSOCIATED PRESS, IT WAS LEARNED FROM MAERSK ON THE 31ST THAT THE COMPANY CONFIRMED THAT THE "MAERSK HANGZHOU" SHIP WAS ATTACKED WHEN IT PASSED THROUGH THE BAB EL-MANDEB STRAIT. Maersk revealed that at around 6:30 p.m. CET on December 30, when the ship was 55 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, the crew reported observing flashes on deck, but there was no indication of a fire on board. Maersk is trying to establish the full details of the incident. Maersk also said that all necessary safety measures had been taken to protect the crew, and that the crew of the ship is now safe, and the ship is fully seaworthy and continues to sail north.
According to the Financial Associated Press, the "MAERSK HANGZHOU" is flagged in Singapore and deployed on the Maersk Asia-Europe route AE12, with a design capacity of 14,000 TEUs.
Recently, a number of merchant ships sailing to the Red Sea and nearby waters have been attacked, and some companies have begun to use bypass, air and a combination of sea and air transportation in order to ensure the safety and timely delivery of goods.
On December 15 and 16, Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Company, Denmark's Maersk Line, France's CMA CGM Group and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd respectively announced that their cargo ships will temporarily avoid the Suez Canal route, which requires the Red Sea, which means that four of the world's five largest shipping companies, which together account for 53% of the global container shipping market, will avoid the Red Sea shipping lane.
On December 18, BP, Statoil and several Norwegian and Belgian shipping companies also announced that their vessels would avoid routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
According to CCTV News, on December 9, local time, Yemen's Houthis issued a statement saying that the Houthis will expand their maritime strikes against Israel.
Yemen's Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said the Houthis had successfully implemented the decision to block Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. However, in light of Israel's continued operations in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis announced that they would ban any ship heading to Israel from navigating the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea if the Gaza Strip did not receive the food and medicine needed by the local population, and that the ban would apply to vessels of any nationality.
On the same day, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced in Bahrain that the United States is forming a new multinational force to protect ships transiting through the Red Sea from the threat of attacks by drones and ballistic missiles launched in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
According to reference information, after the United States announced the formation of the Red Sea escort alliance, global shipping companies have considered resuming the use of Red Sea shipping lanes, but attacks on Red Sea shipping have not stopped.
The Suez Canal, the main international shipping route connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southern end of the Red Sea, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and is a strategic point for ships traveling between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. According to the BBC, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is navigated by about 17,000 ships a year and handles 10% of the world's trade.
In addition, the impact of the Suez Canal, as a major Asian-European and Asia-Mediterranean navigation corridor, is becoming increasingly important for global trade and shipping, as the Panama Canal is currently facing severe droughts and reduced navigation capacity.
Egypt's Suez Canal Authority revealed on December 17 local time that since November 19, 55 ships have chosen to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. The International Chamber of Shipping warns that detours mean more voyage costs, more days of carriage and a corresponding delay in delivery times.
According to S&P Global estimates, a cargo ship sailing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Singapore will increase its voyage by 40% if it detours the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal.
According to a CNN report on the 22nd, Maersk Group announced that due to the blockage of transportation in the Red Sea waters, a transportation interruption surcharge will be imposed on 27 routes from the 21st, and another surcharge will be added to these routes from next year. Taking the North America to Middle East route as an example, the transportation cost of each 20-foot standard container will increase by $1,000 from January 1 next year. At the same time, the French container carrier CMA CGM Group has also imposed surcharges on 11 routes from the 21st, taking the Nordic to Asia route as an example, the cost of shipping each 20-foot container has increased by 325 US dollars. The German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd also said on the 22nd that it would add additional freight.
Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said: "We think the industry with the biggest impact is the automotive industry. About 40% of imported cars and about 20% of auto parts in Asia are transported through this route, and these goods are delayed. European food exports to Asia will also be affected, including pork, dairy products and butter, among others.
According to S&P Global, crude oil transported through the Red Sea accounts for about 15% of Europe's total crude oil imports, and refined oil accounts for about 20%. Some experts pointed out that the extension of freight time may have an impact on customers' purchasing Xi.
The British "Economist" magazine recently published an article pointing out that the new Suez crisis is threatening the world economy, and the rising security risks have made the global shipping industry enter "emergency mode". Analysts believe that if tensions in and around the Red Sea intensify and international shipping continues to be disrupted, it will be difficult to avoid shocks to international supply chains.
According to The Paper, Xiao Liang, director of the Modern Commerce and Trade Research Center of Zhejiang Gongshang University, said: "The Red Sea and the Suez Canal bear most of China's maritime import and export, and are also the only way for Ningbo to navigate with Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and other places, which has a great impact on Zhejiang's foreign trade." In the short term, the export profits of Zhejiang foreign trade enterprises have been affected, and foreign trade enterprises that do not bear freight will face the price reduction requirements of affected customers, and the cost of foreign trade enterprises that bear freight has risen sharply.
According to the data provided by the Ningbo Shipping Exchange, on December 22, the freight rate of Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Europe was 1128 US dollars / TEU, up 11.8% week-on-week and 62.1% from four weeks ago, the freight rate of Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Didong route was 2171 US dollars / TEU, up 18.2% week-on-week and 53.2% higher than four weeks ago, and the freight rate of Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Dixi route was 1838 US dollars / TEU, up 9.6% week-on-week and 37.9% more than four weeks ago.
Editor|Sun Zhicheng Du Hengfeng
Proofreading|Lu Xiangyong
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