Maersk, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd will impose extra charges after re-routing ships in response to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as worries about disruption to global trade grow. The surcharges, designed to cover longer voyages around Africa compared with routes via the Suez Canal, will add to rising costs for sea transport since Yemen’s Houthi militant group started targeting vessels. The route around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, adds about 10 days to a journey that would normally take about 27 days from China to northern Europe. Earlier today, the White House said that Iran is ‘deeply involved’ in planning attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and has provided intelligence to help Yemen’s Houthi faction target ships. The US and Western allies have formed a multi-national coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen
