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The original was posted on /r/worldnews by /u/washingtonpost on 2023-12-22 00:51:10.
Houthi attacks upend trade as ships are forced long way around Africa
Submitted 2 years ago by bot@lemmit.online [bot] to worldnews@lemmit.online
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/red-sea-shipping-houthi-suez/?
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 2 years ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Attacks on passing ships by Iranian-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen, in response to Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, have choked the only southern approach to the planet’s most-trafficked shortcut.
As many as 12 out of every 14 container ships, along with a large share of oil and gas tankers, bound for the key route between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea — which shortens the trip between Asian and European waters, and between Asia and swaths of the Atlantic, by thousands of miles — are instead heading south, according to Everstream Analytics, which analyzes supply chains.
The detour could add as much as a month to time underway, delaying the delivery of goods and the docking of ships that are supposed to continue onward, including to the east coast of the United States and from there back to Asia carrying new loads.
Washington announced this week the formation of a global military coalition, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, set to send warships to the area to escort tankers and others through the threatening waters.
While the effects were ultimately not as severe as had been feared, the episode raised concerns and global awareness about the precarious nature of relying so heavily on a narrow channel of water.
The six-day blockage caused by the Ever Given forced a full closure of the Suez Canal, impacting global trade for four to six weeks after, while the Houthi attacks have only partially restricted the flow.
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