Tensions in the Red Sea have impacted global supply chains, causing inflation in addition to a rise in shipping costs for ships passing through the Cape of Good Hope.
Maritime transport consultant Ahmed al-Shami explained that the inflation in Europe and the US comes due to the decline in global supply chains following the disruption of food shipments.
Citizens of Europe and the US will pressure their governments due to the inflation, he noted.
Shami said that some shipping companies have taken the Cape of Good Hope route, causing an increase in the cost of shipping and the high prices of goods.
The disruption occurred at the source, he added, as factories in China and other places began stopping production in January – before February 4, the date of the official holiday in China – due to tensions.
All sectors have therefore been impacted globally, he explained.
US plans to strengthen military response
The US Congress is considering strengthening its military arsenal to confront the Huthis.
Lawmakers, lobby groups and the US Navy are seeking to use billions of dollars for national security to replenish the army’s stock of ammunition, amid the bombing of US warships with expensive missiles against Huthi targets in the Red Sea and Yemen.
The move raises the stakes for additional funding, which has seen months of partisan conflict over funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and borders.
Britain also intends to modernize the navy’s missile defense system in the Red Sea, after participating with the US in shooting down drones and missiles launched by the Huthis this month.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed it intends to develop its missile system to shoot down drones over the Red Sea.
The ministry announced, in a statement, that it will spend 405 million pounds sterling – US$514 million – to modernize a missile system that the Royal Navy is now using to shoot down drones over the Red Sea.
The SeaSnake air defense system will be equipped with more efficient missiles that include a new warhead and updated computer programs that will enable it to overcome ballistic missile threats.
