Why Christmas presents are late – and what the Houthi rebels have to do with it Turkey’s central bank chief has to move back in with her parents – because rents are becoming too expensive

In many parts of the world, peace is still a long way off. Areas of conflict are becoming increasingly widespread. As a result of the Gaza war, the Strait of Bab al-Mandab – one of the most important shipping lanes in the world – has also become dangerous. Merchant ships use the strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden to transit the Suez Canal and transport goods from Asia to Europe. But not alone. The strait is also a chokepoint through which nearly millions of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar are funneled every day.

Actually.

For weeks, Houthi rebels from Yemen have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles – increasingly disrupting global trade.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia has been targeting ships of states that support Israel for weeks. The Swiss container ship MSC PALATIUM III, flying the Liberian flag and en route to Israel, was attacked last Friday, the rebels said. The crew ignored a warning.

Alternative route causes delays

Due to the attacks, many container ships are currently making long detours around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southernmost tip of Africa. The world's largest container ship companies, such as Maersk, Evergreen and CMA, and the oil giant BP are diverting their ships and tankers until passage is safe again.

About twelve percent of world trade passes through the Red Sea. About 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal every year. The alternative route around Africa will delay deliveries. “On average, a ship needs between 30 and 40 days from Asia to Europe,” Dominique Nadelhofer, spokesperson for Kühne + Nagel, the world's largest shipping logistics company based in Switzerland, told SRF. “We expect the ship to be on the road between ten and fifteen days longer.” The detour also entails additional fuel costs. Swedish furniture giant Ikea has already warned of possible delivery delays and even empty shelves as a result of the bypass.

“Bandits on the International Highway – the Red Sea”

The Houthi rebels are now threatening to attack any ship heading to Israel unless more food and medicine is allowed to be transported to the Gaza Strip. The US wants to deploy international troops to combat the attacks in the Red Sea. The Yemeni militia "is attacking the prosperity and economic well-being of countries around the world," Pentagon spokesman Ryder said. The Houthi rebels are 'bandits on the international highway, the Red Sea'. The Houthi rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Huthi subsequently took over world power in a speech. He threatened to turn the Red Sea into a new theater of war. “If the US attacks Yemen, something worse than what happened in Afghanistan and Vietnam will happen,” the Houthi leader said.

More than three years ago, the container ship 'Ever Given' was stuck in the Suez Canal for several days. A single ship paralyzes parts of global shipping – and costs the global economy billions. And there were concerns that the Suez Canal could be of interest to terrorists in the future.

(with material from SDA news agency)