MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's business community is seeking alternative shipping routes due to disruptions and security concerns around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz after Iran-backed Houthis captured a key port city and an island, sending thousands of Yemenis fleeing to neighboring Djibouti.
Companies have traditionally imported goods from Asia through Gulf countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Now, some are trying a more direct approach.
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Workers load cargo at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Ship Captain Ali Jemdi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur, director general of the Mogadishu Port Authority, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
A cargo ship sits docked at Mogadishu Port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Workers load cargo at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Workers load cargo at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
“The latest tensions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as those in the Strait of Hormuz, have negatively impacted us,” said Mohamed Ali Nur, director of Mogadishu Seaport. “But we have also taken measures to avoid that disruption.”
Nur said his port has worked with exporters to find alternative routes.
“For the first time, we brought a ship carrying sugar directly from Sri Lanka,” Nur said. “This could be a strategy we developed because of these tensions.”
Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Saudi Arabia have been battling the Houthis for 12 years.
The recent escalation has ended a ceasefire that had largely stopped civil war across Yemen since 2022.
Now the number of people from Yemen fleeing the fighting is soaring.
On Sunday, the International Organization for Migration said over 85,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of the month. More than 2,000 people have reached Djibouti, which neighbors Somalia, the agency said.
At Mogadishu’s busy seaport, cargo ships continue to unload food and other commodities. Somalia is particularly dependent on maritime trade for many of the goods its people use every day.
For ordinary Somali consumers, changes in shipping routes can eventually be felt in the markets, where imported food and other goods are sold. Longer or more complicated journeys can mean higher transportation costs and delays in getting products onto store shelves.
Capt Ali Jemdi, who is originally from Syria and ships cargoes of sugar, said uncertainty in the region is already creating concerns for ships operating along the routes.
“There is some trouble over there because of the war,” he told The Associated Press, referring to the Arabian Gulf and surrounding waters. “The Bab el-Mandeb may also have some issues for the vessel.”
He said the instability could make maritime transportation and trade more difficult.
Workers load cargo at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Ship Captain Ali Jemdi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur, director general of the Mogadishu Port Authority, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
A cargo ship sits docked at Mogadishu Port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Workers load cargo at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Workers load cargo at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
MADRID (AP) — Kimi Antonelli took advantage of an unlucky break for Lando Norris to win the Spanish Grand Prix in Formula 1 's return to Madrid on Sunday, increasing his lead in the drivers' standings.
It was the second consecutive victory for Antonelli, the young Mercedes driver who had come-from-behind to win his home race at the Italian GP last weekend.
Antonelli was second early on at the new Madring track in the Spanish capital, but pole-sitter Norris relinquished his lead after he wasn't able to pit when a virtual safety car was deployed. He had already passed the pit entrance and had to pit on the next lap in a questionable strategy call by McLaren that dropped him a few positions.
“Lucky for the virtual safety car, feel a bit bad for Lando,” Antonelli said on the radio after the race. “Really strong race, strong weekend, let’s keep pushing.”
Norris ended third, behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
“There was nothing I could do. Congrats to Kimi and Max, they drove a good race today,” Norris said. “Just luck not on our side. Rough race, one that just got away from us. I thought we deserved it today.”
Charles Leclerc, who led most of the race after opting not to pit when the virtual safety car was deployed, ended fourth after having to change tires late.
Leclerc's Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton saw his race last only seven laps after he reported a problem with his brakes and retired. The seven-time world champion had also struggled last weekend in the Italian GP, when he finished sixth following an early dust-up with Leclerc.
The Spanish GP returned to the Madrid region for the first time in 45 years. It last took place at the Jarama circuit in the capital’s outskirts in 1981.
It was the eighth race win this season for Antonelli, who now leads teammate George Russell by 81 points with nine races remaining. Russell finished fifth Sunday.
The start of the race gained importance with the new track yielding few overtake opportunities, and Antonelli was able to challenge Norris into the first turn. He got past the McLaren driver after cutting the corner to avoid a collision but had to give the position back.
Verstappen also had to give back the position to Lewis Hamilton after gaining advantage while going off the track shortly after the start.
The race changed on Lap 15 when the virtual safety car was deployed after the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll stopped on the track with a brake problem.
Norris missed the opportunity to pit under the safety car and Antonelli took advantage to stop and come out in front of the McLaren. Leclerc stayed out and moved to first place on a different strategy.
Norris ended pitting a lap later, when the virtual safety had ended, so he lost more time and returned to the track in fifth position. He also lost time because his stop was slower than usual because of a problem with the right-front wheel.
With the hard tires holding on well, the front-running drivers did not have to pit again and Leclerc had to come in late for his required stop, relinquishing the lead.
The home grand prix was one to forget for the local drivers.
The only two Spaniards on the grid, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, started on the back and touched each other early in the race.
“He squeezed me into the wall,” Alonso said. “(At) the start, he crashed into two people, now he squeezed me into the wall on breaking.”
Sainz had also collided with other drivers after an aggressive start at his home race. He received a five-second penalty for the incident with Alonso, and eventually retired with a car issue.
Spanish King Felipe VI was among those on hand for the race in the Spanish capital.
Organizers expected a total attendance of nearly 350,000 spectators throughout the weekend.
Hours before the start, a few hundred residents from neighborhoods in northern Madrid protested against the return of the race.
Many of them were clad in bright yellow T-shirts and carried signs reading “Stop Formula 1 in Madrid.”
There was plenty of support for the event locally, but some residents complained about the noise generated by the cars, the road closures and the environmental effects of the race, which is contracted to take place in the Spanish capital for 10 years.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix race in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, right, congratulates Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix race in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates after winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix race in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, right, leads the field after the start of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix race in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly of France steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix, in Madrid, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy prepares for the first free practice ahead of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix, in Madrid, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armanague)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates his pole position after the qualifying session for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix in Madrid, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix, in Madrid, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the qualifying session ahead of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix in Madrid, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
