Following the attacks in the Red Sea, global shipping activity has increased by the most since 2010

An indicator of global maritime traffic is heading for its biggest annual increase since 2010 after attacks in the Red Sea forced ships to travel longer distances.

According to Clarksons Research, a subsidiary of the world’s largest shipbroker, shipping activity measured in ton-miles is set to record the second-largest annual increase ever as a result of geopolitical unrest in the Middle East and Europe.

The indicator, which multiplies the volume of freight transported by the distance traveled, is heading for an increase of 5.1% compared to 2023, or 3.2 trillion ton-miles.

The increase comes as ships have had to divert their usual routes thousands of miles around the Horn of Africa to avoid the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack vessels. These incidents have worsened in recent weeks after the group successfully sank a ship using a maritime drone.

The longer distances are likely to spell bad news for global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. At the same time, “an encouraging start to the year” in terms of trade volumes is one reason for the increase in tonne-miles, suggesting the increase is not just due to longer journeys, wrote Clarkson analyst Trevor Crowe.

The impact of the disruptions in the Red Sea on ton-miles is felt most strongly in container shipping. There are currently around 690 ships sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. Average sea transport will increase by 2.8 percent this year, compared to 1.8 percent last year.