Jake Edwards

An estimated 12% of global trade worth more than $1 trillion traverses the Red Sea each year. When Houthi rebels started attacking commercial vessels in November 2023, ocean carriers began rerouting container ships around Africa’s Cape of Good Horn rather than through the Suez Canal on voyages from Asia to Europe. That greatly increased travel time and costs. As of March of this year, shipping through the Red Sea was still down 70% from before the attacks began, according to The Economist, with many ocean carriers still avoiding the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Peninsula. Maritime Industry Caught in the Crosshairs Houthi rebels launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The Houthis attacked more than 100 cargo ships between November 2023 and January 2025. The attacks, with missiles and drones, sunk two vessels and killed four sailors. In late October 2024, a headline in gCaptain read, “Red Sea Is Now So Dangerous Even NATO Warships Are Avoiding It.” “The United States Navy continues to send warships through the Red Sea, but its mission to protect merchant ships – Operation Prosperity…

We continued this week on Supply Chain Now with more great interviews, conversations, livestreams, and episodes! Did you miss any episodes? On Monday, Scott and Karin Bursa introduced our newest Supply Chain Now program, TEKTOK, to our audience!   On Tuesday, Scott and Greg welcomed Dan Reeve with Esker back to Supply Chain Now for a conversation about increasing supply chain visibility and cash flow.   We published our Supply Chain Buzz on Wednesday, where Scott & Karin discussed the top news in supply chain for the week, and also welcomed featured guest, Lora Cecere with Supply Chain Insights to the podcast.   On Thursday, we continued with the second half of Greg’s interview with Sarah Barnes-Humphrey for TECHquila Sunrise.   And to wrap up the week, Scott and Greg welcomed Ashfaque Chowdhury, PhD with XPO Logistics to the podcast for a great conversation. Which was your favorite episode this week? Never miss an episode by subscribing to Supply Chain Now! Make sure you tune in next week for more great conversation, timely topics, and exceptional guests.