Hamas attacks Israel. Israel responds to Hamas. Yemen's Houthi rebels attack boats crossing the Red Sea in revenge. The United States and the United Kingdom respond by bombing the Houthis. Russia gets angry. Iran is outraged. Hamas and Hezbollah are threatening. And in Germany the rich remain without Tesla cars for the time being.
This is, in summary, how the Red Sea crisis unfolded today after the Houthi terrorists harassed the traders who cross the area daily to bring essential parts and goods to the civilized world, a clear example of the so-called “butterfly effect”, according to which all events that occur anywhere in the world are interconnected, to the point that The flap of a butterfly's wings in one corner of the world can trigger an earthquake in a remote place.
The most recent example is the announcement by the electric car manufacturer Tesla that it would suspend much of its production at its mega-factory Grünheide near Berlin for two weeks due to a lack of components in the supply chains due to attacks on ships by Yemeni forces and Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
“Due to missing components, we are therefore forced to suspend vehicle production in the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg between January 29th and February 11th, with the exception of some areas,” the Efe company said in a statement.
“The armed conflicts in the Red Sea and the resulting changes in the transport routes between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope also affect production in Grünheide. Due to the significantly longer transport times.” There are gaps in the supply chains“explains the company.
The Tesla factory in Grünheide, which has been in operation since March 2022, employs around 11,500 people. According to the company, more than 250,000 vehicles are currently produced per year. With the factory expansion, Tesla wants to double production in Grünheide from the targeted 500,000 cars per year to one million units.
The economic consequences of the crisis
The World Bank warned in its quarterly report this week of the serious consequences that the closure of this navigable waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Suez Canal will have on the global economy. The closure of this important route could bring to a standstill the world's most important supply chains, as this strategic enclave accounts for about one-eighth of global trade. The Tesla example was the last one for now.
Currently, the major container companies, led by Maersk, avoid this dangerous route, but the detour around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa is very costly, both in terms of fuel and delays in the delivery of goods. Materials.
For now, the bombing of Houthi bases by the United States and United Kingdom has sparked protests from Russia, which sees it as a “disregard for international law,” and from Iran, which has warned that this action “will increase the instability of the country.” . Region”. The terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah have, for their part, expressed their support for the Houthi militias.