China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), which controls 5.2% of global ocean shipping capacity, announced today it is HALTING all shipments to and from Israel due to hazards transiting the Red Sea.
Vessels transiting the Red Sea are in great danger of late since the group Ansar Allah, which represents the Houthis in the country of Yemen, have imposed a naval blockade of all vessels shipping products to or from Israel, on account of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have made clear that unless Israel halts its military attacks, wherein they use Fighter Jets to drop 2,000 pound bombs on Apartment buildings, homes, schools, hospitals, Mosques, churches, and refugee camps, which has resulted in more than twenty-one thousands dead Palestinian civilians (60% being women and children), no ship traveling to or from Israel will be allowed to pass in the Red Sea.
COSCO joins MAERSK, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, CMA-CGM, and the other largest ocean-container-shipping companies in the world, in ceasing service to Israel, or re-directing vessels around the southern tip of Africa and entering the Mediterranean Sea via the Atlantic Ocean. This re-route of ships adds 14,000 miles and three weeks travel time for products going to the Mediterranean, from Asia.
It also adds gigantic additional cost for fuel and crews on those ships.
For its part, Israel has only accelerated its attacks killing more civilians despite the naval blockade.
If ocean-going vessels continue the halt to shipments to and from Israel, the Israeli economy will collapse, and goods such as food will become scarce in that tiny nation.
(HT REMARK: One wonders how hungry the Israelis will have to get before their lust for killing Palestinians is outweighed by starvation.)
