Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb disruptions send shipping costs to records, raising inflation risk

With Hormuz effectively closed and a Houthi-declared blockade at Bab el-Mandeb, carriers are routing around the Cape, adding 10–14 days and up to $1,500 per container while supertanker earnings neared $800,000/day. The Drewry WCI printed $4,465 per 40ft in early September, and higher oil prices have pushed bunker costs ~60% above pre-war levels. Longer lead times are lifting working-capital burdens for shippers.