<h1>Supply chain disruption threatens longer routes and higher shipping and insurance costs for exporters in western markets.</h1> Exporters expect logistical and insurance-cost disruptions from Middle East hostilities: altered air routes and uncertainty through the Red Sea and Gulf straits may force rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope, adding substantial transit time. Heightened geopolitical risk is likely to raise marine insurance premiums and container freight rates, increasing shipping costs; prolonged instability could also push up global energy-related input costs and exert currency pressure, prompting exporters to seek calibrated government support to sustain competitiveness.