This Week on Supply Chain Now: November 30th – December 4th

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…

First, it was print, then radio and television, but with the advent of the internet, the effect of mass media multiplied a hundredfold. Today, information reaches the ends of the globe instantly, and some of the main drivers of that are video and podcasts, albeit aided by different social media platforms. Both are powerful mediums for communicating trends and news in any industry. Supply chain podcasts play a crucial role in disseminating information, serving as a powerful tool for enlightening the public. Delivering Authentic Expertise in a Cluttered Digital Landscape Industry professionals and even the general public seem to have an insatiable appetite for news, trends, and analysis of events impacting the supply chain, businesses, and the economy at large. Podcasts and videos offer people deep insights into the minds of industry experts and decision-makers on such topics as manufacturing, sourcing, supplier management, warehousing, logistics sustainability, and inventory management. Despite its many great qualities, social media can get noisy. For instance, on LinkedIn, many claim to be experts, sharing verified and unverified information about the supply chain industry. Finding the right source can be confusing, especially with the prevalence of irresponsibly published content and clickbait journalism. For stakeholders in the…