2024-01-31 14:29:00
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 2 hours ago, Updated 1 hour ago
A Houthi military helicopter flies over the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea, November 20, 2023 HOUTHI MILITARY MEDIA / REUTERS
The fall recorded in 2023 has accelerated since the start of the year, according to IMF figures.
Maritime transport of containers through the Red Sea has fallen by almost 30% over one year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Wednesday, once morest a backdrop of increasing attacks by Houthi rebels once morest merchant ships off the coast of Yemen.
“The majority of traffic in the Red Sea concerns maritime transport by containers, which has decreased by almost 30%”said Jihad Azour, regional director for the Middle East and Central Asia of the IMF, adding that “the decline in trade accelerated at the start of the year” 2024.
The IMF’s PortWatch platform specifies that the volume of transit through the Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, fell by 37% from January 1 to 16, 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year. .
Around Africa
Since November 19, Houthi rebels, who control large swathes of Yemen, have carried out more than 35 attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to the Pentagon, disrupting maritime traffic in this crucial area, through which up to 12% of world trade passes.
These insurgents close to Iran say they want to prevent ships linked to Israel from sailing off Yemen, “in solidarity” with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, prey to the war between Israel and Hamas since October 7.
Their attacks forced many shipowners to avoid the sector by bypassing Africa to reach Asia and Europe, at the cost of increased transport costs and longer delivery times. “The level of uncertainty is extremely high and the evolution of the situation will determine the extent of change and modification of trade patterns in terms of volume, but also in terms of sustainability”declared Mr. Azour.
“Are we on the verge of a major change in trade routes or is it temporary due to increasing costs and deteriorating security costs”?, he asked himself in front of journalists.
The United States, Israel’s key ally, has created a coalition to patrol the Red Sea and “protect” the maritime traffic of the Houthis, an entity which they once once more described as “terrorist”without thus far obtaining a stop to the Houthi attacks.
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