Jordan adapts to Red Sea crisis with alternative shipping options

AMMAN — Minister of Transportation Wissam Tahtamouni has said that Jordan has secured various shipping alternatives for its imports to avoid any barriers caused by the  Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb Strait crisis.

Tahtamouni told the Jordan News Agency Petra on Tuesday that the shipping routes have not been disrupted since the crisis began and that the ministry is working with the private sector and international partners to provide logistical solutions.

She said that the challenge is not supply but  increase in shipping costs.

Tahtamouni also said that the ministry has taken several measures to mitigate the impact of the crisis, such as facilitating customs procedures, setting a financial ceiling for shipping fees for customs calculation purposes, and providing suitable storage yards through coordinating between global shipping lines and ports.

The crisis in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which lies between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast, has erupted since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7. 

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have threatened to attack any ship heading to Israeli ports and have intensified their raids in the region.

The Bab el Mandeb Strait is a vital waterway for global trade, accounting for 30 per cent of the world’s container ship traffic, including 10 per cent of global seaborne fuel.