The Red Sea and the Suez Canal are crucial for European trade with Asia. After attacks on merchant ships, calls are now being made for a German naval operation.
After the attack on a Hapag-Lloyd ship in the Red Sea, the chairwoman of the Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, called for the German Navy to participate in a multilateral operation for free maritime traffic. “We should support the navy protecting the ships together with international partners,” said the FDP politician to the dpa news agency. It is “consequent that everyone who depends on their goods being transported through the Red Sea should take part.” This also involves ships from European companies. “We must resolutely stand up to terrorists of all stripes.”
On Friday, the container ship “Al Jasrah” was shot at and damaged in the strait between Yemen and Djibouti. According to Hapag Lloyd, the crew members remained uninjured. The federal government condemned the attack and is examining a request from the USA for the German Navy to participate in an operation.
Important connection between Europe and Asia
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office described the attacks on civilian merchant ships as completely unacceptable. These represented a massive intervention in the safety of international shipping. It was only on Thursday that German shipowners demanded protective measures from the federal government and the EU.
To the north of the Red Sea lies the Suez Canal, which is crucial for transport between Europe and Asia. That’s why many ships cross the Red Sea. After the attacks, the shipping companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are not allowing any ships to sail through the Suez Canal for the time being. A decision on the situation will be made again on Monday, a spokesman for the Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said on Friday.
The Houthis have a large arsenal of weapons
The Iran-backed Houthis have a large arsenal of drones, anti-ship missiles and ballistic missiles – despite international efforts to prevent arms deliveries from Iran. The Houthis use the weapons to attack commercial shipping, but also to directly fire on Israel. According to US information, missiles from US warships heading towards Israel have been destroyed several times in the past few weeks.
Because of the threat in the Red Sea, ships connected to Israel are now apparently taking a long detour. These are on the longer route around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, said Noam Raydan from the think tank Washington Institute for Near East Policy. This extends the journey by 19 to 31 days, depending on the speed.