It may be 3,000 miles away, but the effects of the fighting in the Red Sea could soon be felt closer to home by British consumers.
Oil prices are rising, shipping costs are rising, and deliveries of goods, from surfboards to cell phones, are delayed for weeks.
Following last week’s US-British air strikes on Houthi positions, US President Joe Biden expressed concerns that the price of a barrel of crude oil had risen beyond $80 per barrel. “That’s why we have to stop them,” he said, blaming Houthi attacks on Western tankers.
But can the Western Allies bomb the Suez trade route again? The immediate answer seems to be no.
Data from shipping consulting firm Kuehne + Nagel showed 388 ships