Three months ago, Houthi fighters from Yemen hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea and took the crew captive. It was the group’s first attack on commercial shipping in response to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. Around 30 similar assaults have followed and the US and UK have retaliated with air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthi attacks have wreaked havoc with shipping in the Red Sea, forcing hundreds of ships to re-route and make the much longer journey around the bottom of Africa. Supply chains have been interrupted and insurance costs have risen for vessels still passing through the area.
With no end to the tension in the region in sight, some companies are readjusting their timelines and accepting that the current situation might become the “new normal”. We ask whether the Houthi attacks have changed the way we move goods around the world for ever.
(Picture: Ships crossing the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Presented and produced by Gideon Long
Long Covid and work
The nappy problem
Why does India have so many female pilots?
Tackling the global food crisis in 2023
Why is Nashville a magnet for entrepreneurs?
China's Covid nightmare: Can Beijing bounce back?
The return to burning wood
Who is Jack Ma?
Business and conscription in Russia
Women, sport and business: Making NBA history
Women, sport and business: Betting
Women, sport and business: Media deals
Women, sport and business: Haley Rosen
Review of 2022
Money jobs: Inside the auction house
Money jobs: The reality for realtors
Money jobs: The truth about trading
Money jobs: Cashing or crashing with crypto
Money jobs: Making money on the tables
The rising stars of football and their money
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins