[Freight Weekly] "Reckless Acts of Terrorism" in the Red Sea

🗺️Red Sea Attacks Persist as Masersk Intends to Still Reroute Shipping🗺️

This is starting to get old, isn’t it? With the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, ocean liner operators and shippers are still proving reliant on expensive rerouting to be sure to avoid attacks by the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi militants. The latest:

• Shipping giant Maersk reaffirmed its intent to clients and stakeholders that they will continue to reroute vessels to costlier and longer routes to avoid attacks and other sorts of molestation from the Houthi militants.

• This announcement comes as the U.S. Central Command confirmed that the Houthi militants attacked two more crude oil tankers carrying millions of barrels of crude petrol. Military leadership called this round of attacks "reckless acts of terrorism,” also pointing to the other attacks.

• Once a critical international trade route, the Red Sea has turned into a literal warzone that makes even the most basic maritime operations so much more dangerous than they already are. All global trade feels it.

• European Union naval authorities add to this fact by indicating that any salvage operations to recover already attacked vessels still floating, dilapidated, were too dangerous. This is the case for the Greek-owned and flagged MV Sounion. The Sounion was attacked carrying millions of barrels of crude. Crew members were forced to abandon ship, which led to Houthi fighters setting off explosives on deck and causing roaring fires.

• Houthis initially agreed to allow salvage operations in some capacity. However, it appears that this was not successful for EU members.

• It is also worth noting that the Suez Canal’s revenue has suffered by billions due to the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea and adjoining bodies of water. Iran remains active in blatant stand-offs with private shippers, too.

Bottom line: When will the drama in the Red Sea end? That’s a hard question to answer. Given that the Houthis are interrupting shipping, successfully, in the name of supporting Hamas in its war with Israel over the Gaza Strip, this will be an ongoing issue until diplomacy or some foreign military intervention prevails.

MORE: Salvagers abandon effort to tow burning oil tanker in the Red Sea targeted by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

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📰OTHER NEWS IN FREIGHT📰

🚂 Canadian rail union challenging government order to end stoppage: In the latest chapter of a labor dispute between Canada’s Class I rail operators and the national rail workers union, the Teamster Canada Rail Conference appealed a decision handed down by the government’s labor board to resume work and to enter into binding arbitration with the rail major rail operators CN and CPKC.

🎄East Coast longshoremen in the US might put a damper on the holiday season: In other labor news, the International Longshoremen’s Association is threatening a strike if they are unable to reach contract agreements with East Coast port terminal operators and shipping companies by the time the current contract ends on October 1. A strike like this could bottleneck holiday portage.

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