Protection of trade routes
London sends destroyers to the Middle East
November 30, 2023, 8:11 p.m
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Several attacks on freighters in the Middle East are increasing concerns about disruption to maritime trade. Great Britain now wants to increase security in the Red Sea with a destroyer – in view of threats from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
After increased attacks on ships in the Middle East, Great Britain wants to send one of its most modern naval ships to the region. The destroyer “HMS Diamond” is on its way to reinforce the “HMS Lancaster” in the Gulf region and the Indian Ocean, said the Ministry of Defense in London. The aim of sending the additional ship is to maintain “smooth operations” on important maritime trade routes.
London is responding to “increasing concerns” about the security of international maritime trade in important straits, it said. HMS Diamond will carry out patrols in these straits to avoid escalation “by malicious and hostile actors” and to “provide security to merchant vessels.”
The move comes after the Nov. 19 hijacking of an Israeli-linked freighter in the Red Sea by the pro-Iranian Houthi militia and subsequent similar incidents. Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas in response to their brutal attack on Israeli territory on October 7th, the Houthis have fired drones and rockets at Israel several times, which were intercepted by Israeli air defenses and US warships. Saudi Arabia, which is at war with the Houthi rebels, is also said to have intercepted some missiles.
The increased incidents came after threats by the Houthi militia to attack Israeli ships and ships of Israel’s allies operating in the Red Sea. The Houthi militia sees itself as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel. This also includes other Iranian-backed groups such as Hamas and the Shiite Islamist Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, around 50 large merchant ships pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait every day, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden off the Yemeni coast. Around 115 large merchant ships use the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf further north every day. The Gulf waters are vital routes for commercial shipping, the ministry said, including tankers that carry much of Britain’s liquefied natural gas supplies.