Yemen Monitor/Marib/Exclusive:
A data analysis released on Friday revealed that two Saudi ports have suffered the most from the Red Sea shipping crisis as the Houthi group in Yemen has been attacking commercial vessels since the end of last year.
According to analysis by Sea Intelligence firm on Friday on the impact of the Red Sea crisis on container ship visits to deep-water ports in the region, the most affected ports in the Red Sea were Jeddah and King Abdullah Port.
The analysis stated: “Shipping lines stopped calling at King Abdullah Port for its deep-sea services as of January 2024, while Jeddah witnessed the largest decline of -74% on a monthly basis from December 2023 to January 2024.”
Even after a slight improvement in July 2024, Jeddah Port averages only 37 monthly calls compared to the pre-crisis average of 135 monthly calls.
In the eastern Mediterranean, Piraeus and Port Said were the most affected, while in the Gulf of Aden, Salalah in Oman experienced a decline in deep-sea port calls by about -50% in January and February 2024.
The Red Sea witnessed the most severe effects of the crisis, with the average number of deep-sea ports declining by -85% in 2024. The number dropped from over 200 ships per month to less than 40 ships in the period from January to June 2024. The number rose to 60 ships in July 2024, double the figure in previous months. However, it remains to be seen whether this will continue, or if it is just a temporary increase.
King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia was ranked the most efficient container port in the world, according to the 2021 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) report issued by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence
Since the end of last year, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and recently expanded their operations to the Indian Ocean. They said they were targeting ships linked to Israel, which is waging a brutal attack on the Gaza Strip. However, the Yemeni government and experts say that the Houthis’ goals are domestic, aimed at escaping domestic crises and improving their image in the region.
In response, the U.S. and Britain have been launching airstrikes against Houthi group backed by Iran since January 11. As a result, the Houthis announced an expansion of their operations to include U.S. and British ships.
From November to August, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) recorded more than 220 attacks on US commercial or military ships off the coast of Yemen, including nearly 120 attacks since the start of US airstrikes on the Yemeni mainland.
