Wheat shipments through the Suez Canal fell nearly 40% in the first half of January compared to the same period last year to 500,000 tonnes due to attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea, the Organization said on Thursday. Trading post on X, according to Reuters and Agerpres.

The data, which is based on a joint platform developed by the International Grains Council (IGC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), provides new evidence of vessel diversions due to attacks in the Red Sea.

In response to these attacks, the major shipping companies decided to reroute their ships to a longer and more expensive route that would bypass the Cape of Good Hope. But this route adds 10-15 days to the journey between Asia and Europe.

According to the WTO, in December 2023, approximately 8% of wheat shipments from the European Union, Russia and Ukraine that would normally have passed through the Suez Canal took alternative routes. But in the first half of January, this percentage increased to approximately 42%. For comparison, before the Red Sea attacks, the share of alternative routes averaged only 3%.

However, the data shows that very few wheat shipments have been completely canceled. “The increase in supplies appears to have had a limited impact on total supplies to date,” the WTO said.

Earlier this week, several shipping industry sources told Reuters that while some ships carrying wheat were expected to take an alternative route, most would risk continuing through the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.