Attacked again! OPG may be stillborn, and the shipping crisis is officially coming

On December 30, Maersk confirmed that the "MAERSK HANGZHOU" was attacked while passing through Mande Strait from Singapore to Suez Port in Egypt. As a result, Maersk announced on December 31,2023 that it would suspend the ship crossing the Red Sea for 48 hours.

Maersk said that it is trying to find out the whole situation of the incident and has a close dialogue with the "Prosperity Guardian Operation" (OPG) and relevant authorities to assess the security level in the region. It is reported that this is the 23rd attack by Houthi armed forces on international shipping since November 19.

Flexport believes the Red Sea crisis will trigger a series of ripple effects, particularly on containers. "Container shortages and port congestion are expected. Empty container shortages could hit Asian ports as soon as mid-to-late January."

While the shipping industry has enough containers, they may not be in the right place. Empty containers needed for China's peak export season may be stuck elsewhere. Ships in the Asian region will also face the challenge of empty container availability.

Facing the current situation in the Red Sea, it is an alternative to use multimodal transport or China-Europe train for some goods. However, if the shipping situation in the Red Sea continues, it is expected that the business volume of China-Europe train will soon be saturated.

再次遇袭！OPG或胎死腹中，海运危机正式来临

       12月30日，马士基确认“MAERSK HANGZHOU”轮从新加坡到埃及苏伊士港途经曼德海峡时遇袭。受此影响，马士基于2023年12月31日宣布，暂停船舶穿越红海48小时。

       马士基方面对此表示，目前正在努力查明该事件的全部情况，并与“繁荣守护者行动”(OPG)和相关当局密切对话，以评估该地区的安全级别。据悉，这是自11月19日以来胡塞武装对国际航运的第23次袭击。

       Flexport认为，红海危机将引发一系列的连锁反应，特别是在集装箱方面。“预计会出现集装箱短缺和港口拥堵。空箱短缺最快可能在1月中下旬袭击亚洲港口。”

       虽然航运业有足够的集装箱，但它们可能并不在正确的位置。中国出口旺季所需的空箱可能会被困在其他地方。亚洲区域内的船舶也将面临空箱可用性的挑战。

       面对当前的红海局势，对于部分货物采用多式联运或者中欧班列作为替代方案，不失为一种选择。但如果红海航运局势仍然持续，预计中欧班列的业务量也将很快饱和。