The Houthis issued a "warning"! Launch an attack with Red Sea merchant ships! Is the dream of resuming sailing in the Red Sea completely shattered?
Just as the global shipping industry begins to cautiously evaluate a return to the Red Sea-Suez Canal route, A video released by Yemen's Houthi rebels casts a heavy shadow over the prospects for recovery of this critical waterway. The image of the burning ship in the video is accompanied by the word "soon". And the spokesperson of the organization reiterated the statement of support for the relevant countries,It marks that the security alert in the Red Sea region has been sounded again.
This threat is directly related to the current rising tensions between the United States and Iran, and is seen as clear support for Iran by the Houthis. At the same time, the United States has sent additional aircraft carriers and other military deployments to the Middle East, which has dangerously echoed the threats posed by the Houthis, causing the navigation security situation in the entire region to deteriorate sharply and increasing uncertainty.
There are repetitions and contradictions in shipping companies’ resumption strategies
The sudden change in the situation directly impacted the fragile resumption plan of the shipping company and exposed obvious strategic differences. Companies such as Maersk have begun making “structural adjustments” to specific routes back into the Suez Canal;However, the sameCMA CGM, which had planned to resume sailing, has redirected its three main routes back around the Cape of Good Hope.
This contradictory situation of "advancing" and "withdrawing" at the same time confirms the extreme complexity of assessing risks in the region. If a carrier is forced to reverse a decision for safety reasons, even if there are extenuating circumstances, it will seriously damage the reliability of shipping schedules and erode trust with cargo owners.
Supply chain stability takes precedence over navigation efficiency
Market confidence is tested, and The cautious attitude of cargo owners constitutes another fundamental obstacle to the large-scale resumption of sailings in the Red Sea. .For cargo owners, supply chain stability and predictability are paramount. Although passing through the Suez Canal can save about two weeks, they are more deeply worried about potential safety hazards that may cause greater losses such as cargo delays and damage. This general mentality makes it difficult for shipping companies to obtain sufficient cargo volume commitments to support a stable resumption of sailings.
The road to resumption is long, and detours are still the norm
The latest threat from the Houthi armed forces and the dynamics of the US military will jointly pose a new round of severe challenges to the global shipping industry in early 2026. It is a cruel reminder to all participants that the navigation status of the Red Sea route is a barometer of the highly sensitive regional political and security situation.
The current so-called resumption of flights only has extremely limited tentative conditions. Persistent regional risks, high insurance costs and volatile geopolitics combine to present major obstacles.In the foreseeable future,Supply chains will be forced to continue to rely on the longer, more expensive alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope, and the additional costs, delays and capacity constraints it generates will continue to be a burden that global trade must bear.