04 января 2024 — 14:00
The cost of transporting cargo on container ships traveling from Asia to Europe has increased sharply due to attacks on ships in the Red Sea area, which are produced by the Yemeni Houthis. The price increase was caused by the fact that many carriers redirected their ships to bypass the Red Sea, now container ships are heading to Europe not through the Suez Canal, but skirting Africa from the south, Reuters reports.
According to the international cargo booking platform Freightos, the cost of shipping one forty-foot container from Asia to Northern Europe has doubled and reached $4,000, while the delivery of the same container to the Mediterranean countries, where ships traditionally passed through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, soared to $5,175, Reuters reports.
Judah Levin, head of Freightos analysts, noted that some carriers have already raised prices for the delivery of one container from Asia to the Mediterranean countries to $6,000 (since mid-January), and the practice of using surcharges in the amount of $500 to $2,700 per container can raise prices even higher.