Data shows Red Sea conflict is noticeably rising sea freight emissions

The restriction of the Suez Canal and the need to circumnavigate Africa is resulting in the consumption of over 100,000 tons of fuel per day, according to calculations by Trafigura, a global commodities trading company.

In their analysis of the need to decarbonize maritime transport—particularly for tankers—experts at Trafigura highlighted that the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea is contributing to a rise in maritime emissions. The closure of the sea route through the region and the Suez Canal significantly lengthens the journey from Asia to Europe, leading to higher fuel consumption.

Tankers traveling around the Cape of Good Hope consume an additional 200,000 barrels of fuel per day (approximately 32,000 tons), which leads to an increase in emissions from the maritime transport sector of up to 4.5%.

Trafigura further estimates that when factoring in container ships and other cargo vessels, daily fuel consumption could rise by an additional 500,000 barrels, equating to around 80,000 tons of fuel.

Global shipping companies have already taken note of this issue. In May, for instance, we reported that Maersk introduced additional fees for its customers to cover the significant increase in fuel costs caused by the need to sail around Africa.

Trafigura proposes several strategies to reduce emissions on these longer routes, including:

• The use of biofuels
• Energy efficiency solutions such as silicone hull coatings, regular cleaning of propellers and hulls, and other measures that could achieve up to a 10% reduction in emissions
• Speed reduction (reducing speed by 10% could lead to a 19% reduction in emissions)
• Digitalisation to optimize route planning and fuel consumption
• Emissions capture technologies