In the first two months of 2024, due to the crisis in the Red Sea where there are attacks on maritime traffic in the region, the ship transits in the Suez Canal decreased by -50% compared to the compared to the same period last year, while it increased by +74% commercial maritime traffic transiting around the Cape of Good Hope. These variations have been highlighted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and are data-driven provided by the PortWatch platform created by the International Monetary Fund International in collaboration with the University of Oxford monitoring disruptions and obstacles to maritime traffic.

The IMF has pointed out that the drastic drop in transits in the Egyptian canal adds up to the effect of traffic restrictions crossing the Panama Canal due to the serious drought that characterizes the region. These are two arteries maritime - underlined the IMF - through which normally about 15% and about 5% of the volumes of world maritime trade.

In addition, the data reveal that in the first two months of this year there was a There was a decrease of -6.7% in the number of ship calls at the 70 ports monitored in sub-Saharan Africa and that a downturn -5.3% was recorded in relation to stopovers at ports in the European Union, the Middle East and Central Asia, decreases, the IMF specified, which probably reflect the Transitory effects of longer shipping times caused by these crises, effects which, if they persist, were to persist could temporarily hamper some supply chains in the nations in the affected regions and cause upward pressure partially caused by rising expedition.