On December 30, local time, the US Navy shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at warships from areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, the US Central Command said in a statement.
Us Central Command also said a Singapore-flagged container ship operated by Denmark reported being hit by a missile. The US Central Command said this was the 23rd unlawful attack on international shipping by the Houthis since November 19.
According to the financial Association news agency learned from MAERSK on the 31st, the company confirmed that the "MAERSK HANGZHOU" ship was attacked when passing through the Mandeb Strait. The ship was 55 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, when the crew reported observing a flash on deck at around 6:30 p.m. Central European time on Dec. 30, but there was no indication of a fire on board, Maersk said. Maersk is working to establish the full details of the incident. Maersk also said it had taken all necessary safety measures to protect the crew, and that the crew was safe, the ship was fully seaworthy and continued to sail north.
The "MAERSK HANGZHOU" vessel, flying the Singapore flag, is deployed on the Maersk Asia-Europe route AE12, with a designed capacity of 14,000 TEU.
In recent days, a number of commercial vessels sailing to the Red Sea and nearby waters have been attacked, and some companies have begun to use bypassing, air transport and a combination of sea and air transport in order to secure and timely delivery of goods.
On Dec. 15 and 16, Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company, Denmark's Maersk Line Group, France's CMA CGM and Germany's Hapal-Lloyd announced that their cargo ships would temporarily avoid the Suez Canal route that needs to pass through the Red Sea, which means that four of the world's five largest shipping companies will avoid the Red Sea route. Together, these four companies account for 53% of the global container shipping market.
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 Gulf of Aden.
According to CCTV news, on December 9 local time, the Houthi armed forces in Yemen issued a statement saying that the Houthi armed forces will expand their naval strikes against Israel.
Yahya Sarea, a spokesman for the Houthis in Yemen, said the Houthis had successfully implemented a decision to prevent Israeli ships from sailing in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. However, in light of the continued Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis announced that if the Gaza Strip does not receive food and medicine needed by the local population, the Houthis will ban any ship bound for Israel from sailing in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, and this ban will apply to ships of any nationality.
The same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin announced in Bahrain that the United States is forming a new multinational force to protect shipping transiting in the Red Sea from the threat of drone and ballistic missile attacks launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
According to the reference news, after the United States announced the formation of the Red Sea Escort coalition, global shipping companies have considered resuming the use of the Red Sea waterway, but the attack on the Red Sea shipping has not stopped.
Suez Canal - Red Sea This international shipping artery, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The Bab El-Mandeb Strait is located at the southern end of the Red Sea, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and is the only place for ships to travel between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (4.170, -0.13, -3.02%), and has a very important strategic position. According to the BBC, the Bab El-Mandeb Strait is used by about 17,000 ships each year, handling 10 percent of global trade.
In addition, in the case of the Panama Canal is currently facing serious dry water and reduced navigation capacity, the Suez Canal, as the main navigation channel of Asia - Europe and Asia - the Mediterranean, has an increasingly important impact on global trade and shipping.
Egypt's Suez Canal Authority revealed on December 17 local time that 55 ships have chosen to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa since November 19. The International Chamber of Shipping warned that detours meant increased shipping costs, more shipping days and delayed delivery times.
Standard & Poor's Global estimates that a cargo ship sailing from Rotterdam to Singapore could increase its journey by 40% if it bypasses the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal.
According to CNN reported on the 22nd, Maersk Group announced that due to the disruption of transport in the Red Sea waters, from 21 to 27 routes to impose a transport disruption surcharge, and will add another surcharge for these routes from next year. Taking the North America-Middle East route as an example, from January 1 next year, the shipping cost of each 20-foot standard container will increase by $1,000. At the same time, CMA CGM, a French container carrier, has also started to charge surcharges on 11 routes from the 21st, taking the Northern Europe to Asia route as an example, and the cost of each 20-foot container transportation has increased by $325. German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd 22 also said it will charge extra freight.
Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Markets, said: "We think the industry with the biggest impact is the auto industry. About 40 percent of Asia's imported cars and about 20 percent of its auto parts are transported on this route, and these goods are delivered late. European food exports to Asia will also be affected, including pork, dairy products and butter.
According to S&P Global, the Red Sea accounts for about 15 percent of Europe's total crude oil imports and about 20 percent of refined oil imports. Some experts pointed out that the extension of freight time may have an impact on customers' buying habits.
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 make the global shipping industry enter "emergency mode". Analysts believe that if the tension in the Red Sea and its surrounding waters increases and international shipping continues to be disrupted, the international supply chain will be difficult to avoid being impacted.
According to the surging news, Xiao Liang, director of the Modern Business and Trade Research Center of Zhejiang Gong Shang University, said: "The Red Sea and Suez Canal bear most of China's maritime imports and exports, and are also the only way for Ningbo and Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and other places to navigate, which has a greater impact on Zhejiang's foreign trade." In the short term, the export profits of Zhejiang foreign trade enterprises have been affected, for foreign trade enterprises that do not bear the freight will face the price reduction requirements of affected customers, and for foreign trade enterprises that bear the freight, the cost has risen sharply.
According to the data provided by Ningbo Shipping Exchange, on December 22, the freight rate of Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Europe was 1,128 US dollars/TEU, up 11.8% week on week and 62.1% higher than four weeks ago; The freight rate of Zhoushan Port to East of Ningbo was 2,171 US dollars/TEU, up 18.2% week on week and 53.2% higher than four weeks ago; The freight rate of the Zhoushan Port to the west of Ningbo was $1,838 / TEU, up 9.6% week on week and 37.9% from four weeks ago.
