25% drop in cargo ships arriving to German due to Houthi activity in Red Sea

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy revealed yesterday that the number of incoming cargo ships has decreased by 25 per cent as a result of the attacks by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement in the Red Sea.

A report by the institute stated: “The amount of freight transported through the Red Sea has once again decreased in January. In December, it had plummeted by over half due to attacks by the Houthi rebels. Currently, over 80 percent fewer containers are passing through the sea route and the Suez Canal than would normally be expected. This also has consequences for German ports like Hamburg and Bremerhaven, where the number of incoming ships has decreased by 25 per cent.”

Kiel noted that “The reason for the drastic declines in freight volume is that container ships, following attacks by Houthi rebels, are now taking the detour around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope instead of passing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.”

Yemen’s Houthis, who control most of the country’s coast on the Red Sea, had previously warned of its intention to attack any ships linked to Israel, and called on other countries to withdraw their crews from them and not approach them at sea. A number of global shipping companies responded by suspending operations through the Red Sea.

The Houthis repeatedly stressed that their actions in the Red Sea aim to support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and said that they do not interfere with freedom of navigation in the region. Since mid-January, the US and UK have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, describing them as a response to threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

The global powers have, however, issued no sanctions against Israel while it carries out its genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza, instead supporting the war effort both economically and diplomatically.

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