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Shipping companies expressed caution about using the shorter route between Asia and Europe that many ships have avoided for more than a year.
Jan. 24, 2025, 11:21 a.m. ET
A monthslong, costly disruption to global shipping could soon end now that the Houthi insurgents in Yemen have signaled that they have suspended their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
But any return to normality may take a while. Shipping lines say they will only go back to the Red Sea once they are convinced their vessels will not be attacked. That may take time as the Houthis have pledged to renew their assaults if the Israel-Hamas cease-fire breaks down or if the Houthis are targeted by Israel or the United States and its allies.
Even if freighters return to the Red Sea, the waterway between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal, it could take time for shipping companies to fully rejig their operations, some analysts say.
The Houthis’ attacks on shipping started in late 2023 soon after the war began between Hamas and Israel. The Houthi announced last weekend that the group would halt its attacks.
To avoid Houthi drones and missiles, shipping companies mostly stopped going through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Instead, vessels went around Africa’s southern tip to get to Europe from Asia. That route is some 3,500 nautical miles and 10 days longer than going through the Suez, contributing to steep rises in shipping costs.
“The situation in the Suez Canal remains fluid and the security situation is unclear,” MSC, a large Swiss shipping company, said in a statement, adding that it would continue using the longer route for now.
