Why shipping costs are going to stay high in 2025

Containers at the port of Mombasa, Kenya. 

Photo credit: File

The decision by two shipping lines to totally avoid the Red Sea route from next year, amid mounting safety concerns caused by Houthi attacks, is projecting a further costlier importation for East Africans. 

The shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, said a joint statement last week that their new alliance, the Gemini Cooperation, would bypass the Red Sea from February 1, 2025.