Ships are forced to bypass Africa to avoid possible attacks in the Red Sea, port chief Lluis Salvado told reporters on Monday.
Ships are calling at the Spanish port of Barcelona with delays of 10 to 15 days because they have to change their route, the port chief said. He said the delays affected ships carrying all types of products, including liquefied natural gas.
Barcelona is home to one of the largest LNG terminals in Spain.
Lluis Salvado said delays in the western Mediterranean are still less, as these ports are closer to the bypass route around Africa. He noted:
It affects in a very significant way the ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, those like us on the western side are less affected.
Some shipping companies have suspended transit along the Red Sea route to avoid attacks by the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi group, which since November has launched waves of exploding drones and rockets at ships in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Many fuel tankers continue to use the route, although QatarEnergy, the world’s second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has stopped sending tankers through the Red Sea, citing security concerns.
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has expressed alarm at disruptions to world trade due to the ongoing crisis on the shipping route through the Red Sea, saying it would “particularly” hit developing countries, and warned that it was affecting global food prices, as longer shipping distances and higher freight rates could drive up costs. UNCTAD’s head of trade logistics, Jan Hoffmann said:
Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to these disruptions, and UNCTAD remains vigilant in monitoring the evolving situation.
The recent attacks on Red Sea shipping, coupled with existing geopolitical and climate-related challenges, have given rise to a complex crisis affecting key global trade routes. UNCTAD estimated that the weekly transits going through the Suez Canal decreased by 42% over the last two months.
