The actions of the Houthis have caused an added level of CO2 emissions in 2024 related to container shipping of 18 million tons – this is the same as the carbon emissions from the country of Cambodia.
Ongoing crisis in the Red Sea and the re-routing of vessels south of Africa has led to a staggering 45 percent increase in carbon emissions from container shipping in the European Union in 2024. Sea Intelligence highlighted that while the overall shipping sector saw a 10 percent rise in CO2 emissions, the impact on container shipping has been disproportionately severe.
Container vessels, from 2018 – 2023, had consistently been reducing their emissions, despite growth in container volumes, with emissions, on average declining by -4.4 percent at an annual average. This was followed by an unprecedented spike in 2024. Sea Intelligence stated that they assumed there was never a Red Sea crisis and that the container lines would again in 2024 have reduced their total emissions by 4.4 percent, this would have led to total emissions of 34.7 million tons in 2024.
“Instead, the reported reality was emissions of 52.7 million tons. Assuming that the primary cause of the emissions increase in 2024 is due to the round-Africa routing, then the actions of the Houthis have caused an added level of CO2 emissions in 2024 related to container shipping of 18 million tons – this is the same as the carbon emissions from the country of Cambodia.”
Ships Sailing Longer Distances
However, Sea Intelligence added that the Red Sea crisis has not really had a measurable impact on other shipping segments than container shipping, as no major increase is recorded in 2024 for these segments. In April 2025, Xeneta, ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and market analytics platform, highlighted that global container emissions increased 14 percent in 2024 to 240.6 m, surpassing the previous record of 218.5 m tons of carbon set in 2021. The biggest increase in carbon emissions came from the largest ships that also experienced the biggest increases in transport work emissions from ships between 14,500 and 20,000 TEU hit 24.2 m tons in 2024 – up from 7.3 m tons compared to 2023.
It stated that the record-breaking statistic should not be used as a stick to beat the maritime freight industry with because it is largely due to ships sailing longer distances around the Cape of Good Hope following the escalation of conflict in the Red Sea in December 2023. Xeneta added that a new record high is the inevitable outcome of these diversions, both in terms of the increase in transport work and the record high demand of laden containers being moved in 2024, as shippers responded to the Red Sea crisis by frontloading imports.
