Carriers Abandon Red Sea Return Plans, Reinstating Cape of Good Hope Diversions Amid Houthi Threat

Major container carriers are definitively abandoning plans to resume Red Sea/Suez Canal routing and are reinstating Cape of Good Hope diversions, adding 10–14 days to transit times and significantly increasing fuel and charter costs. Arabian Gulf ports including Jebel Ali are left effectively isolated from main east–west trade lanes, forcing shippers to reassess delivery schedules and inventory buffers. Freight forwarders should immediately review contracts and activate contingency routing and capacity plans.