Iran's war pushes commercial ships to the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal

Iran's war pushes commercial ships to the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal

Oil tanker traffic around the "Cape of Good Hope" route reached a record level in mid-April, highlighting a shift towards the longer shipping route as Iran's war continues, diverting traffic away from the Arabian Gulf and the Suez Canal, according to the "Financial Times".

The British newspaper reported on Friday that ships sailing between Europe and Asia had diverted their route to the path via the southern tip of Africa since Houthi militants in Yemen began attacking vessels in the Red Sea in 2023, following the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. However, they gradually began to return to the more direct route through the Suez Canal after an initial ceasefire in Gaza in October of last year.