Multiple Ships Attacked in the Red Sea, Black Sea, Causing 8 deaths

Recent attacks against shipping in the Red Sea and Black Sea have sparked?global concern.?According to Reuters and BBC, two serious attacks?in the Red Sea and Black Sea between October 9th and 10th resulted in casualties and property damage, drawing worldwide attention.

For?the Red Sea, on the morning of October 10th, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for two attacks on commercial vessels off the Yemeni coast. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker was hit by missiles?and drones?about 73 nautical miles (135 km) southwest of Yemen's Hodeidah port, causing damage to the vessel but no casualties. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea announced later that they had attacked the tanker with 11 ballistic missiles and two drones, and had also struck another oil tanker in the Indian Ocean with one cruise missile.

The Houthis have launched nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing?the Red Sea since November of last year. This series of attacks has severely deteriorated shipping safety?in the Red Sea?region. To ensure safety, major shipping companies have been forced to alter their routes, opting for longer journeys around Africa's Cape of Good Hope and then along the western coast of Africa. Some carriers, who?had been using the Suez Canal for return trips from Asia to the North American East Coast to avoid congestion in the Panama Canal,?are now rerouting their vessels via the Cape of Good Hope due to tensions in the Red Sea region.

Based on the ship route information reported by Reuters, there is a significant difference in voyage length between the old and new routes. Ships rerouting around southern Africa are expected to incur up to an additional $1 million in fuel costs for each round trip between Asia and Northern Europe.

Meanwhile, on October 9th, port infrastructure in Ukraine's southern Odessa region was hit by a ballistic missile, resulting in 8 deaths so far. Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper stated that "three civilian ships have been attacked in the past four days."?A 46-year-old port worker and a 26-year-old man died from injuries in the hospital, with several others injured. The Port of Odessa, located in southern Ukraine, is one of the country's key grain export hubs. It?connects Ukraine's vast agricultural heartland with external markets, serving as a crucial gateway for shipping grains (especially wheat, corn, and barley) worldwide. Ukraine's abundant agricultural output plays a vital role in the global food supply chain, with the Port of Odessa being an irreplaceable link in this chain. The continuous attacks not only affect Ukraine's grain export capacity but also pose a serious threat to the global food supply chain.

Furthermore, the Panama Canal, situated between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is facing severe challenges. Due to decreased rainfall caused by climate change, water levels in the canal have dropped, forcing the canal management to implement traffic restrictions on passing ships. This measure has put additional pressure on trade routes from Asia to North America and Europe, further slowing down the efficiency of global supply chains.

Faced with security threats in the Red Sea and Black Sea, as well as reduced transit capacity in the Panama Canal, the global shipping industry is under unprecedented pressure. Countries must reassess the security and flexibility of their supply chains to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of global trade.