European vessels to police Red Sea as part of US task force

The United Kingdom has deployed a naval destroyer to the Red Sea as part of a coalition to counter attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on commercial vessels sailing through the major trade chokepoint, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Tuesday.

It’s part of a growing international effort to ensure the freedom of the seas in the key shipping lanes.

The HMS Diamond has already been active in the area to bolster efforts to protect merchant vessels, but will now formally join the United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian aimed at safeguarding navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a critical avenue for oil and container traffic.

More than a tenth of global maritime trade passes through those waters with more than 23,000 sailings a year through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, according to the British government.

Over the weekend, HMS Diamond shot down a drone with a Sea Viper anti-aircraft missile as attacks on merchant vessels ramp up. At present, three U.S. destroyers are in the area, the Ministry of Defence said.

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu told lawmakers on Tuesday that "France is already largely present in the region,” insisting that regional players such as Saudi Arabia should be included in the coalition.

He’s meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khaled bin Salman Al-Saud, on Tuesday evening and will address the issue with him, Lecornu added.

The French FREMM multi-mission frigate Languedoc — which has been present in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea since December 8 — has intercepted three drones likely sent by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including one targeting Norwegian oil tanker Strinda.

Italy also announced it would send the frigate Virginio Fasan — a 144-meter vessel equipped with long-range missiles — to the Red Sea earlier than expected. The vessel had been due to arrive in February as part of an anti-piracy operation, but instead will cross the Suez Canal on December 24 to counter drone attacks.

However, the Spanish government said Tuesday that although it was named by Washington as a participant in the mission, it won’t take part in Operation Guardian of Prosperity but will only intervene if NATO or the EU decide to do so, according to El Pais newspaper.

The government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, said Madrid would not participate "unilaterally" in the U.S.-led operation.

The German defense ministry said it was reviewing whether to dispatch vessels to the region but that no decision had been taken.

Shapps said: “These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices,” speaking after a video conference Tuesday with ministers from 20 other countries to discuss the attacks.

Operation Prosperity Guardian includes Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the Seychelles, alongside the U.K. and the U.S.

“This is an international problem that requires an international solution,” Shapps said.

This article has been updated.