War in Israel: The new geopolitical flashpoint for ocean shipping

Wars and pandemics — geopolitical and global health crises causing widespread suffering and death — have the side effect of hiking profits in certain industries. Wars inflate returns for defense contractors. The pandemic was a bonanza for certain pharmaceutical companies. Shipowners have profited from both. Container-line owners made fortunes during COVID. Russia's invasion of Ukraine buoyed rates for tanker companies. Now there's a new geopolitical crisis — the Israel-Hamas war in response to Saturday's terrorism attack by Hamas — and clear potential for escalation to a regional conflict. It may seem insensitive, but it's the job of shipping analysts and…