EU announces mission to protect Red Sea traffic after new Houthi attacks
After two months of negotiations between Member States, the European Union announced on Monday February 19 its naval operation in the Red Sea, with the aim of securing maritime traffic on this essential sea route for international trade. In recent weeks, Yemeni Houthi rebels have increased attacks in the area, causing a drop in activity at the Suez Canal.
This photo provided by the Indian Navy shows the US ship Genco Picardy which was attacked on Wednesday by a bomb-carrying drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden, Thursday, January 18, 2024. © Indian Navy via AP
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The launch of this operation was announced with fanfare in December after
that carried out by the United States (“
Guardian of Prosperity
”)
but concessions had to be made to Spain. The European naval mission in the Red Sea is named Aspidès, “
shields
” in ancient Greek. This is a direct reference to the fact that this mission will be “
defensive
”: the qualifier was hammered out by the 27 to clearly mark the difference with the “
Guardian of Prosperity
” operation
led by the United States
, reports our office at Brussels.
The European Aspidès operation, for example, will not be able to carry out strikes against land installations, differently from the American operation. It will be based on the principle of self-defense: not only in favor of the European warships of the operation, but also in favor
of the merchant ships which must be protected
.
“
Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, in coordination with our international partners
,” wrote the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the social network X.
I welcome today's decision to launch the EU Naval Force Operation Aspides.
Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our international partners.
Beyond crisis response, it's a step towards a stronger European presence at sea to protect our…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 19, 2024
There will therefore be coordination with the “
Guardian of Prosperity
” operation, but with Aspidès, the Europeans wanted to show to the Arab countries that they were not committing themselves to the side of Washington, whose posture diplomatic is seen as resolutely pro-Israeli.
This was particularly a request from Spain. Madrid refused to extend the Atalanta naval operation to the Red Sea, planned against piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The radical left party (Sumar), belonging to the government coalition, saw this as an alignment with American foreign policy.
The EU's Operation Aspidès will start with four French, Italian, Greek and German ships which will be joined by a Belgian ship. General command will be ensured by Italy, and operational command at sea by Greece. Scheduled for one year and possibly renewable, the mission should not be fully operational for “
a few weeks
”, when it will have sufficient resources, according to a European diplomat.
Read alsoTrade: Italy is the European country most affected by the crisis in the Red Sea
Houthi attacks again on Monday
Since January, the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out repeated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen
without succeeding in ending their attacks
, with the latest strike taking place on Saturday.
Again on Monday, new attacks were reported against shipping in the region. The Iran-backed Houthis targeted “
a British ship in the Gulf of Aden, the RUBYMAR, with naval missiles
,” according to a statement from Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree.
The Houthis also said they shot down an American MQ-9 plane, a claim to which Washington has not yet responded. According to maritime security company Ambrey, the ship was heading north from the United Arab Emirates and had the Bulgarian city of Varna as its final destination.
Egypt: Suez Canal revenues down nearly 50% due to Red Sea attacks
Since November,
the Yemeni Houthi rebels
have claimed to target ships linked to Israel or its supporters in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been bombarded relentlessly since the unprecedented deadly attack by Hamas on October 7 on Israeli soil. The attacks by the Houthis,
who are supported in the background by Iran
, have pushed many shipowners to decide in 2024 to bypass Africa in the long term and
to suspend passages through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal
, for where 12% to 15% of global traffic usually passes, according to the EU. “
You see what is happening on our borders [...] with Gaza, you see the Suez Canal which brought Egypt almost 10 billion dollars per year, (these revenues) have fallen from 40
%
to 50
% and Egypt must continue to pay companies and partners
,” the Egyptian president said at a conference alongside oil companies.
The immense work inaugurated in 1869 brought in approximately $8.6 billion to Egypt in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. This windfall is significant in a country where importers and money changers are now struggling to find dollars. In the country which is going through the worst economic crisis in its history, canal revenues are as closely monitored as tourism revenues and remittances from Egyptian workers abroad. The volume of trade passing through the Suez Canal has
fallen by 42% over the past two months
, according to the UN, concerned about the repercussions for all of world trade.
The weekly number of container ship transits fell by 67% year-on-year. The drop in tanker transit is 18%, that of bulk cargo ships (grain, coal, etc.) is 6% and gas transport is at a standstill.
(
With
AFP)
Also read Who are the Houthis, this Yemeni militia targeted by American and British strikes?
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