Somalia traders seek new shipping routes amid Bab al-Mandab tensions

Somali traders and Mogadishu port are switching shipping routes as Red Sea tensions disrupt cargo movement. The shift shows how the Yemen conflict is raising costs and uncertainty across regional trade.

In Short

• Businesses fear delays and higher costs from instability near crucial waterways
• Mogadishu port coordinated with exporters to reduce disruption to essential imports
• A sugar shipment arrived directly from Sri Lanka for the first time

Somalia's business community is looking for alternative shipping routes as disruptions and security concerns around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz affect trade. The concerns have grown after Iran-backed Houthis captured a key port city and an island, forcing thousands of Yemenis to flee to neighbouring Djibouti.

Somali companies have traditionally imported goods from Asia through Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia. But some are now trying more direct routes as tensions in the region raise concerns over the movement of cargo.

"The latest tensions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as those in the Strait of Hormuz, have negatively impacted us," said Mohamed Ali Nur, director of Mogadishu Seaport. "But we have also taken measures to avoid that disruption." Nur said the port had worked with exporters to find alternative routes. "For the first time, we brought a ship carrying sugar directly from Sri Lanka," he said. "This could be a strategy we developed because of these tensions."

Yemen's internationally recognised government and Saudi Arabia have been battling the Houthis for 12 years. The latest escalation has ended a ceasefire that had largely halted the civil war across Yemen since 2022. On Sunday, the International Organisation for Migration said more than 85,000 people had been displaced since the beginning of the month. It said over 2,000 people had reached Djibouti, which neighbours Somalia.

At Mogadishu's busy seaport, cargo ships continue to unload food and other commodities. Somalia is heavily dependent on maritime trade for many everyday goods. For consumers, changes in shipping routes can eventually be felt in markets where imported food and other products are sold, as longer or more complicated journeys can lead to higher transport costs and delays.

Capt Ali Jemdi, who is originally from Syria and transports sugar cargoes, said uncertainty in the region was already causing concern for ships using these routes. "There is some trouble over there because of the war," he told The Associated Press, referring to the Arabian Gulf and surrounding waters. "The Bab el-Mandeb may also have some issues for the vessel." He said the instability could make maritime transport and trade more difficult. Overall, the tensions around key sea routes are pushing Somali traders to adjust supply lines while the conflict in Yemen continues to disrupt movement in the region.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends