The increase comes as ships have had to re-route their usual journeys over thousands of kilometres around the horn of Africa to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels are attacking ships.
An indicator of global maritime transport is heading for its biggest annual jump since 2010, after attacks in the Red Sea forced ships to travel longer distances.
Shipping activity measured in tonne-miles is expected to record the second-largest annual increase on record as a result of geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East and Europe, according to Clarksons Research, a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker.
The marker, which multiplies the volume of cargo transported by the distance travelled, is heading for an increase of 5.1% compared to 2023, or 3.2 billion tonne-miles.
The increase comes as ships have had to reroute their usual journeys of thousands of kilometres around the Horn of Africa to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels are attacking ships.
These incidents have intensified in recent weeks after the group managed to sink a ship using a maritime drone.
The longer distances are likely to spell bad news for global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. At the same time, “an encouraging start to the year” in terms of trade volumes is part of the reason why tonne miles are rising, suggesting that the increase is not just related to longer voyages, wrote Clarkson analyst Trevor Crowe.
The impact of the Red Sea disruption on tonne-kilometres has been felt most acutely in container shipping, with around 690 ships currently rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Average maritime trade journeys will increase by 2.8 per cent this year, compared to 1.8 per cent last year.
Semanário Económico
