Half of UK exporters say Houthi attacks in Red Sea disrupting business
Al Jazeera
The British Chambers of Commerce says 55 percent of exporters report higher shipping costs and delays.
More than half of exporters in the United Kingdom have been disrupted by attacks carried out by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea, according to a survey by an influential business group.
According to the survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), 55 percent of exporters reported higher shipping costs and delays, as did 53 percent of manufacturers and business-to-consumer services firms.
Among all types of businesses, 37 percent of companies were affected by the attacks, according to a survey of 1,000 firms between January 15 and February 9.
Some businesses surveyed said container hire costs had jumped as much as fourfold, while delivery times had blown out by up to four weeks.
“There has been spare capacity in the shipping-freight industry to respond to the difficulties, which has bought us some time,” William Bain, BCC head of trade policy, said on Sunday.
