Attacks in the Red Sea: large Japanese shipping companies abandon the route

Important japanese shipping companies have decided to change the routes of their ships to avoid the Red Sea and thus the increasingly frequent attacks of the Houthiswhich seek to prevent ships related to Israel sail off its coasts.

As reported by the Japanese public broadcaster NHKthe companies Nippon Yusen (NYK Line), Mitsui OSK. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line)the three largest Japanese shipping companies, would already be altering the course of their freighters to and from Europe to avoid the Red Sea and thus avoid becoming a target of these groups.

In search of new routes

The shipping companies, as well as the container shipping company Ocean Network Expresswhich operate jointly, are diverting the trajectory of their ships towards South Africawhere they surround the Cape of Good Hope, despite the fact that the shortest waterway connecting Asia with Europe is the Suez Canal, which passes through the Red Sea.

The decision comes hours after the United States Department of Defense announced that a Japanese-owned chemical tanker (which was flying the Japanese flag) Liberia and was operated by a Dutch company) was attacked on Saturday in the Indian Ocean by a drone apparently coming from Iran.

The ship had left Saudi Arabia last Tuesday and was heading to the Indian port of mangalore when he was attacked, but decided to redirect to Mumbai to undergo repair and assess the damage with the help of the Indian Coast Guard, according to details published by the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

The impact of conflicts in the Red Sea

Changes in cargo ship routes are raising concerns about possible delays in cargo shipments and increases in transportation costs.

The recent escalation of attacks launched from territory yemeniwhich has included ship hijackings, puts global trade in check on the crucial shipping route. Red Sea and Arabian Sea.