There are new developments in the attack on a British cargo ship, with Yemen's Houthi rebels claiming that the ship has been completely sunk. In addition, within 24 hours, the Houthis claimed to have attacked 2 US ships again. The United States and Britain also carried out airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas.
According to **, at 02:00 a.m. Beijing time on Tuesday (February 20), Yemen's Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarrea said on social media ** that a British ship "Rubymar" (Rubymar), which was previously attacked by Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has completely sunk.
It was the first vessel to sink as a result of a Houthi attack". It is important to note that while a large number of cargo ships have also been hit in the past few months, the attack on the USS Ruby could be one of the most devastating cases of the Houthis to date, according to the agency analysis. Since November 2023, the ship attacked in the Red Sea has never been so serious that it "abandoned ship" and "sank".
Earlier, the British Office of Maritime Operations (UKMTO) issued a statement saying that on Sunday (February 18) local time, the "Ruby" cargo ship was attacked 35 nautical miles (about 65 kilometers) south of the Yemeni port city of Muha. According to the UKMTO, the attack caused the crew of the Ruby to abandon ship, and all crew members were safe. At the time of the incident, the relatively small cargo ship was leaving the port of the UAE and heading for Bulgaria.
However, it is worth mentioning that this attack on the Rubymar is also the fifth attack by the Houthis on ships linked to Britain and the United States in the past four days. This follows an attack on a 58,800-DWT Lyc**Itos owned by Helik Shipping Enterprises and a 100,000-DWT LR2 product tanker Pollux by Sea Trade Marine in the Red Sea. Plus the two other American ships mentioned by the aforementioned Yahya Sareya in his statement, named Sea Champion and N**is Fortuna.
Roughly speaking, since last November, Houthi rebels, which control large swaths of Yemen, have attacked more than 50 ships in waters such as the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The group said all of these attacks were part of a policy to pressure Israel to stop its war of aggression in Gaza.
Some analysts believe that three months have passed since the outbreak of the Red Sea crisis, but there is no end in sight. The situation seems to be moving towards a more intense and broader confrontation with seafarers on ships still operating in the Red Sea. This also means that container ships will maintain longer routes for the foreseeable future.
Container rents have risen by more than 220!
According to a recent report by Container Xchange, a specialist in container monitoring, container rents to the West Coast of the United States have soared by more than 220% since the Red Sea crisis began.
Shippers are moving cargo destined for the U.S. East Coast to West Coast ports, increasing throughput at Southern California ports as a result, which in turn has significantly increased container charter fees, the report said.
Another industry insider said that there is an expected shortage of containers due to the lack of empty containers shipped back to Asia from the United States. At the same time, the disruption of the U.S. East trade due to the Red Sea crisis and the Panama Canal restrictions may increase the demand for the U.S. West trade lane.
It is worth noting that the throughput of the West Coast port has increased significantly in January this year.
Among them, the Port of Los Angeles throughput in January was 855,652 TEU, setting a "second best start on record"; The Port of Long Beach also saw a 17% year-over-year increase in throughput in January5%, of which imports increased by 235%, and exports fell by 181%。
In the fourth quarter of 2023, U.S. consumer spending grew, with a growth rate of 33%, inflation is low, household spending is "solid", and the outlook for the US economy is positive.
Christian Reoloffs, co-founder and CEO of the agency, believes that the growth in consumer spending and retail sales data suggests that demand for goods is expected to see a "considerable recovery" as retailers restock and that demand for containers will continue to remain elevated.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program