Nick Griffith

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…

Another BIG week at Supply Chain Now! If you missed an episode, get a quick summary and listen here! On Monday, we published a new episode in This Week in Business History. Scott shared the stories of a few retail legends, the birth of Motown, and more! Supply Chain Now · “This Week in Business History for August 17th: Retail & Radio Legends are Born”   We continued the Today in Manufacturing series on Tuesday as Kelly Scheib with Proterra joined Laura Madajewski, Jason Moss, and Scott on the podcast on Tuesday.   Supply Chain Now · “Serving the People Behind the Numbers: Kelly Scheib with Proterra”   On Wednesday, we published this week’s Supply Chain Buzz, where Scott and Greg shared the top supply chain stories of the week.   Supply Chain Now · “The Supply Chain Buzz for August 17th: Imports Up, Cold Chain Explosion, & Good News”   On Thursday, we shared an excellent interview on supply chain leadership as Scott & Greg spoke with Rick Blasgen, the President & CEO of CSCMP.   Supply Chain Now · “Leading the Supply Chain Industry Forward: Rick Blasgen with CSCMP”   And we wrapped up the week a little…