Over 105 industry trade associations from the apparel, retail, energy, agricultural, electronics, and medical sectors have agreed to work together to protect trade with the Red Sea from re-attacking which is presently under the control of the Houthis, a militia group from Yemen.
From Bangladesh, apex trade associations such as The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and the Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB) have already joined the global campaign.
The initiative has been started by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and International Apparel Federation (IAF) on 8th February.
The objective of the campaign is for countries to work together to guarantee commercial ships’ safe passage across the Red Sea and prevent a recurrence of the attacks that occurred in December of last year.
The Houthis had launched the attack in October last year which prompted shipping lines to suspend their original route and shift to a much longer route that connects around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
More than US $ 80 billion worth of cargo has reportedly been rerouted around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, according to the secretary general of the International Apparel Federation Matthijs Crietee. This has resulted in two to three weeks’ extra travel time as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of additional fuel and labour costs. Bangladesh uses the Red Sea route to mainly export garment items to Europe and the US.
