According to DHL CEO Tobias Meyer, the Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and the resulting longer detours could lead to a shortage of containers in Asia.

This could happen in the coming weeks, as the return transportation of containers to Asia may not be possible to a sufficient extent, Meyer said at a panel discussion in Davos on Wednesday. "We have to keep an eye on that." However, the current situation cannot be compared to the supply chain difficulties of three to four years ago.

One of the world's most important shipping routes connecting Asia and Europe runs across the Red Sea. Due to repeated attacks by the Houthis on cargo ships, many shipping companies are avoiding the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, through which around 15 percent of global trade passes. Instead, the freighters take the route around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.

(Report by Matthias Inverardi, edited by Myria Mildenberger. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)