Half of the workers at Israel’s Eilat Port are at risk of losing their jobs after the harbor suffered a huge financial setback as a result of the Red Sea shipping crisis, officials warned on Wednesday.
Eilat, on the northern edge of the Red Sea, was one of the first ports to be affected when shipping companies redirected vessels to escape strikes by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen.
Port management has revealed plans to lay off half of its 120 staff. In response, dock workers staged a protest on Wednesday.
Eilat, which largely handles vehicle imports and potash exports from the Dead Sea, is small in comparison to Israel’s Mediterranean ports in Haifa and Ashdod, which handle nearly all of the country’s trade.
