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
Why is Chinese EV giant BYD moving into Turkey?
Remittances: Sending money back home
Reconstructing Chile’s botanical gardens
The cost of the Red Sea crisis
Business Daily meets: Ginny Gilder
Brand Jude Bellingham
Pets: The business of dog-walking
Pets: What’s a ‘pet-fluencer’?
Pets: The growth of pet tech
US Election: The American housing dream
When should you retire?
When will we see a female billionaire athlete?
Panama's troubled copper mine
Business Daily meets: Entrepreneur Tina McKenzie
FFP: How do the football spending limits work?
Can Dua Lipa’s family change Kosovo’s image?
What is 'Womenomics'?
Business Daily meets: Swimming's power couple
Paris 2024: Breaking new ground
Paris 2024: The race for the perfect running shoe
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