In a few weeks, and perhaps days, Israeli ports will find themselves nearly empty as ships crossing the Red Sea refuse to risk docking there.
Zakaria Al-Sharabi – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
Shipping giant Yang Ming has announced that its vessels will permanently cease visiting the port of Ashdod, and MSC is thinking about doing the same. Maersk has halted its ships’ transit through the Red Sea until further notice, and Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth-biggest container shipping company globally, plans to reevaluate a comparable decision after three days. ZIM, Ofer, and Ungar, three Israeli firms, have chosen to go around Africa.
Lifting the blockade on Gaza is the objective of the Yemeni operations in its second stage. Due to the enemy’s reliance on the Red Sea for 51% of imports—given the number of containers arriving from the East and Europe—the operations achieve its effectiveness, and its influence on the enemy’s economy is becoming more apparent by the day.
According to Newsweek, with the Israeli enemy already suffering from an economic slump due to the war in Gaza and escalating clashes with Hezbollah along the northern border with Lebanon, the cessation of trade through the Red Sea could deliver another major blow in a war that Israeli officials say could last months or even years.
The Marker website suggests that what initially appeared to be an immediate decision by ZIM could turn into a flood of additional shipping companies that will change their routes or cease visits to Israel.
The website quotes Shai Carni, the head of Conmart Company, which acts as an agent for Yang Ming Shipping Company, stating that some ship owners have removed the port of Ashdod from their route and will place their goods in Turkey.
Furthermore, as Carni confirms, ships that are not carrying Israeli goods are not encountering any problems, so they can stop shipping to Israel and show no interest in unloading 3,000 of the 8,000 or 10,000 containers they transport to other ports in an Israeli port.
The complexity of the situation is further compounded by the fact that shipping insurance prices have soared by 250% on Israeli ships, and some insurance companies are refusing to deal with them because the loss would be substantial, and no one wants to gamble with their money.
The Israeli Capital and Stock Exchange News Portal website reports that the ports are paralyzed, and goods are delayed, and after the threats in the Red Sea region, ships are “turning around” and container prices are rising by 25–40%, depending on the quantity of the imported product and where it came from.
The website adds that if transportation costs were around $2,000 until now, companies will now have to spend much more money. And soon, prices will increase.
The website confirms that it is not a coincidence that the mention of Houthis among the major corporations in the past few days has been widely hesitated. Their name often comes even in the upper part of Hamas.
Prices will be noticeably higher for Israeli citizens, who will be affected by these consequences. Due to the cessation of agriculture in the “Gaza envelope” areas and the subsequent reliance on imports from eastern regions, it will also affect the entity’s food security. Additionally, there is the import of raw materials used in industries from African and other Asian countries. Furthermore, the East is the largest importer of Israeli products, especially potassium and phosphate raw materials.
The Netanyahu government, drowning in various crises, can’t confront these repercussions and will inevitably succumb to opening crossings and allowing food and medicine into the Gaza Strip. They will have no choice but to cease their aggression.
While it is true that it is attempting to project its problems onto the world and create the impression that there is a threat to international navigation, the facts clearly show otherwise, and America and its allies in the region are aware that any military movement in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandeb Strait will not solve the problem but rather make it more complicated.
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