(Reuters) – Grain ships originating from the Black Sea or bound for Iran are about the only ones still sailing through the Red Sea as Houthi militants continue to attack vessels in the area, analysts said on Friday.
The attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis have disrupted global shipping since November and forced firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
“Just about all (dry bulk grain) vessels going from the Americas and western Europe are avoiding the Red Sea, the only exception is vessels going to Iran, they’re still taking the Red Sea route when shorter,” said Ishan Bhanu, lead agricultural commodities analyst at data provider and analysts Kpler.
“All vessels we are tracking going from the Black Sea to Asia are going through the Red Sea, almost without exception,” he added.
Grain transit through the Suez Canal hit a low of 2.6 million metric tons in February, down from 5.3 million tons in February 2023, Bhanu estimated.
