How Yemeni Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea are hurting global trade

An RAF Typhoon aircraft returns to base in Cyprus after striking targets in Yemen (Sgt Lee Goddard/Ministry of Defence via AP)

The attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have rerouted most of the trade normally flowing through the crucial maritime artery for consumer goods and energy supplies, a shift that is delaying shipments and raising transport costs.

The impact struck home on Friday when electric car maker Tesla said it had to shut down its factory outside Berlin from January 29 to February 11 due to delays in supply chains, and as US-led airstrikes hit what the navy said were Houthi missile and drone launch sites in Yemen.