Sanaa Transport Minister: Saudi-led blockade causes over $12 billion in damage to Red Sea ports

SANAA, July 27 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mohammed Ayash Quhim, said the blockade and military actions imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on Yemen have caused catastrophic damage across key service and economic sectors, particularly the maritime sector and Red Sea ports.

In remarks to Al Masirah TV, Quhim said Saudi airstrikes targeted the Port of Hodeida from the first day of the conflict, destroying cranes, berths and other critical facilities.

He estimated total losses and damage to the Red Sea Ports Corporation at more than $12 billion, describing the destruction as difficult to compensate for.

Quhim said the blockade had driven marine insurance costs for a single shipping container to around $15,000, while reducing cargo volumes arriving in Yemen from 6 million metric tons to just 1 million tons.

He added that container traffic through Hodeida port has fallen to between 400 and 500 containers, compared with more than 300,000 containers annually before the conflict.

The minister also said inspection procedures, permit requirements and the detention of cargo containers in Djibouti for periods exceeding 300 days have resulted in the spoilage of goods and mounting demurrage charges, costs that are ultimately passed on to Yemeni consumers.

He further claimed that heavy equipment, vehicles and refrigerated cargo have been barred from entering Yemen for nearly 12 years, while Saudi authorities continue to issue warnings to vessels bound for Hodeida port.

Quhim added that the prolonged blockade has left thousands of port workers without jobs as shipping activity declined, arguing that what was described as a period of de-escalation or a humanitarian phase instead imposed additional humanitarian and economic burdens on the Yemeni population.