Houthi militias from Yemen have been attacking international merchant ships for weeks. Now there is apparently an agreement between the militias and Moscow and Beijing.
Around ten percent of world trade goes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal further north. Large shipping companies such as Maersk or Hapag-Lloyd avoid the area and take the long detour around the Cape of Good Hope. The German Navy has also been participating in the EU mission “Aspides” for several weeks.