The price of shipping a container from China to Europe has risen fourfold because Yemen's Houthis rebels from the paramilitary group “Ansar Allah” are carrying out increased rocket attacks on merchant ships. This was explained by Kasper Rurade, maritime advisor at the Dutch trade and logistics association Evofenedex. RIA Novosti quotes his words.
As the expert pointed out, the cost of transporting a container from Asia to Europe has increased from a thousand to more than four thousand dollars within a month. As the main reasons for this dynamic, the analyst cited a significant increase in the travel time of ships due to the need to circumnavigate the African continent, as well as the growth of costs for maritime logistics companies due to the risk of missile attacks by the Hussites.
The additional cost of marine insurance has also increased recently, Rurade added. “While before the crisis in the Red Sea the insurance costs amounted to 0,8 percent of the value of a seagoing vessel, now it is almost one percent,” complained the expert.
Shipping costs have continued to rise since mid-December 2023, when Yemen's Houthi rebels began shelling merchant ships in the Red Sea. Against this backdrop, tariffs for shipping 40-foot containers between China and Rotterdam rose 115 percent to $3.577 by early January.
At the same time, experts predicted a further increase in the cost of sea transport due to additional customer fees from large logistics companies. The latter is due to increased risks and a significant increase in transportation costs as merchant ships have to bypass the Suez Canal.
The Danish shipping and logistics company AP Moller-Maersk had previously warned of the risks of massive disruptions in the delivery of goods due to the worsening crisis situation in the Red Sea. Representatives of the largest operator of container transport admitted that tensions in the maritime area will continue for the foreseeable future, which could drastically increase the conditions for cargo deliveries.
Source: Lenta.ru (Russian)