Focus Africa
2024-09-11
Gianmarco Ottaviano
Marine and Submarine Routes: the Red Sea and the Future of Global Trade
The vessels that navigate the Red Sea make it one of the world's main commercial routes. This is why the political instability in the area and the frequent attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen by the Houthi rebels are causing serious concern, especially for SMEs that could suffer the worst consequences on their exports. However, the stakes are even higher. Less recognized, in fact, is that some of the most important submarine cables—which facilitate the exchange of data via the internet, on which the new global economy relies, including the exchange of goods—run beneath the Red Sea.