Shipping’s Great Detour Gathers Pace as Houthis Menace Trade (1)

Dozens of container ships bringing manufactured goods from Asia to Europe are setting off on arduous detours around Africa — snarling trade and delaying cargo deliveries — after a wave of attacks by Houthi militants on the merchant fleet in the Red Sea.

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, which owns a fleet of more than 300 container ships and controls many more, said Tuesday that it will divert its fleet around Africa. Iran-backed Houthi militants have vowed to attack any merchant vessel with a connection to Israel, in a move to support the Palestinians, but as violence escalates all ships are seen ...