US intelligence says Houthi attacks caused 90% decrease in shipping through the Red Sea

In June, the US Defense intelligence Agency reported that the Houthi attacks caused a 90% decrease in container shipping through the Red Sea from December 2023 to February, the report also  said that 29 energy and shipping companies across 65 countries were affected and forced to change their shipping routes, most of them choosing to go around the Cape of Good Hope, which adds an extra 11,000 nautical miles (20,000km), ten days of travel and $1.000.000 fuel costs to each voyage. 

Shell plc previously announced a hold on "transit" through the Red Sea. On 18 December, Evergreen Marine corporation announced it was suspending its import and export service to Israel because of risk and safety considerations. COSCO, the fourth largest shipping company and its subsdiary OOCL similarly stopping all services to Israel in early January 2024. On 21 December, the chief Eilat Port in Israel said the port has seen a 85% drop in activity since the Yemeni attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. And in March, Israel's main labor federation said that half of the workers at Eilat Port lost their jobs, 60 out of the 120. 

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis, also referred to as Ansar Allah, are an armed group that control most parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The group was established in the 90s, but started rebelling against Yemen's government. The group hs been fighting a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, with military support from Iran. On 1 November, the Houthis "declared war" on Israel and since then started attacking Israeli affiliated cargo ships with drones and ballisitic missiles, the group also often fires drones and ballisitic missiles at Southern Israel, where Israeli air-defense systems shoot down most of them.