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Industry executives warn that the Red Sea trade route is still too risky, even after the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Industry executives say that companies transporting products around the globe are not yet ready to return the Red Sea route to trade in the wake a Gaza ceasefire agreement because they're uncertain if Yemen's Houthis would continue to attack ships.

Houthi leader in Yemen said that if the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the Gaza war is violated, the Iran-aligned organization will continue its attacks against vessels and Israel.

Since November 2023, the Houthi militia have carried out over 100 attacks against ships. They have sunk or seized two vessels and killed four seafarers.

The severity of the attacks disrupted shipping worldwide and led to route changes.

The risks were still too high for executives from the shipping, retail and insurance industries to re-start voyages through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea. This is the strait through which exports from the Gulf of Aden and Asia to Western markets must pass to enter the Suez Canal.

"I'm not putting my products on a ship that will be going through the Red Sea any time soon," said Jay Foreman of Basic Fun in the U.S., which provides toys to major U.S. retail outlets like Walmart and Amazon.com.

"I will spend extra money and send everything to the tip of Africa. "It's not worth the risk."

Trials are ongoing

Matt Castle, vice-president of global forwarding at logistics group C.H. Robinson said, "It is unlikely that the industry will experience a significant shift to the Suez Canal within the next few years."

He explained that this was because of the difficulties in securing cargo coverage due to perceived high risks, and also time constraints. It would take several weeks or even months to implement a brand new ocean shipping plan.

Craig Poole is the managing director of Cardinal Global Logistics. His clients include B&M Retail, Pets At Home, and B&M Retail.

It'll be important to test the route and ensure that the ceasefire really is real.

Sources in maritime security said that companies would be cautious about any Houthi pledge to stop attacks and instead opt for test trips to assess the risk.

Resuming operations on larger ships such as those carrying liquefied gas would be more difficult due to the greater risks involved if a ship with flammable cargo were hit.

Norwegian shipper Wallenius Wilsen, who transports vehicles via ship, has said that it will not resume its Red Sea sailing "until there is safety".

H&M, a Swedish fashion retailer that uses sea freight for the majority of its products to be transported from Asia to Europe by factories, has said it is monitoring the situation.

Tailwind Shipping Lines is a German supermarket chain Lidl-owned shipping company. The firm said that the safety of its crew, vessels and cargo were their top priorities.

The European Union's navy force in the Red Sea stated that its "threat assessments remain unchanged".

WAR RISK

The higher war risk insurance rates paid by vessels sailing through the Red Sea have resulted in additional costs for seven-day trips of up to hundreds of thousands dollars.

According to insurance sources, the additional premiums for war risks ranged from 0.6% to up to 2% if the ship was linked to Israel or the U.S. They were largely unchanged over the past few months.

(source: Reuters)