New Arctic shipping route avoids terrorism

Ships passing through the Red Sea risk being attacked by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia. But now there is a way for some ships to avoid passing through the Red Sea (which has the Suez Canal at its northern end).

“A Chinese shipping company has launched the first regular container service between Asia and Europe through the Arctic. The journey from Ningbo, China, to Felixstowe, England, is expected to take around 20 days, roughly half the time it takes to complete the typical route through the Suez Canal,” reports The Doomslayer.

The Financial Times explains:

“The Arctic is emerging as a viable alternative to the world’s traditional shipping routes as melting polar ice shortens the journey between Europe and Asia and vessels seek to avoid maritime chokepoints.

“Sea Legend, a Chinese container shipping company focusing on the Turkish and North African markets, will this week launch the first regular container shipping service through the Arctic.

“The weekly service will skirt the north Russian coast on its journey between Ningbo on China’s east coast and Felixstowe in the UK. The company has branded the service the ‘Ice Silk Road’ in reference to the Silk Road trading route that once connected China and Europe.

“The voyage will cut the usual 40-day sailing time between the two ports by about half, depending on the conditions in the Arctic Circle. The move follows a record 23 transits through the Northern Sea Route last summer, up from 15 voyages in 2024.”

The Houthis are an anti-American militia that rule the most important parts of the country of Yemen in Arabia. When they shot down an American drone worth $30 million, it was announced in a video that chanted the Houthi slogan, “death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.” The northern part of Yemen, which contains 80% of its people, is controlled by the Houthis.

The Houthis have restored slavery in Yemen. “The Houthis have expanded slavery in the areas of Yemen they control. More than 1,800 Yemenis are kept as slaves” by Houthi leaders.

Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea greatly increased the cost of international shipping, and delayed shipments, by making many ships take a time-consuming detour around southern Africa rather than risk being fired upon by the Houthis as they travel near Yemen toward the Suez Canal.

The Washington Post noted that “Sending a ship through the [Suez] canal” could “cost $3 million to $5 million, including higher insurance charges, security and danger pay for the crew. Diverting around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope — which adds seven to nine days to the trip from Asia — could cost $2 million for the same type of ship.”

Al Jazeera noted that the strikes on ships by the Houthis “have forced ships to change route, causing major disruptions in companies’ chains of production. Attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.”

In recent years, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to Houthi attacks.