War in the Middle East
Shipowners’ Association calls for naval protection with German participation
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann: “We must resolutely stand up to terrorists of all stripes.” photo
© Hannes P. Albert/dpa
One of the most important shipping routes runs through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. After the shelling of ships by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, calls for naval protection are growing.
After attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on ships in In the Red Sea, the Association of German Shipowners has called for an international military alliance with German participation to protect civilian shipping.
The chairwoman of the Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, spoke out in favor of such an operation involving the German Navy. The Ministry of Defense in Berlin is examining a corresponding request from the USA.
Recently, several merchant ships in the Red Sea were attacked by Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Iranian-backed rebels are threatening to block ships of any nationality bound for Israel from passing through the Red Sea. On Friday, the container ship “Al Jasrah” was shot at and damaged in the strait between Yemen and Djibouti. The shipping companies Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd decided not to allow any more ships to sail through the Suez Canal for the time being.
The canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, making it the shortest sea route from Asia to Europe. Around ten percent of all world trade passes through the Red Sea.
Danger to merchant ships and sailors
The general manager of the shipping association, Martin Kröger, pointed out that the USA, France and Great Britain were already sailing in the region with naval ships. “It would be appropriate if Germany were to participate accordingly,” said Kröger on Bayern 2’s “radioWelt” program. It’s not just about protecting merchant ships, but also seafarers: “If you imagine that you the ship and you are being shot at with rockets and drones and cruise missiles, that is of course an escalation of violence that we have never seen before with merchant shipping and that is simply completely unacceptable,” said Kröger.
The FDP defense expert Strack-Zimmermann believes the shipping owners’ demands are correct. “We should support the navy, together with international partners, in protecting the ships,” she told the German Press Agency in Berlin. It is “consequent that everyone who depends on their goods being transported through the Red Sea should take part,” she continued. This also involves ships from European companies. She demanded: “We must resolutely stand up to terrorists of all stripes.”
A few days ago, a request was made from the USA to the German Navy, as the Federal Ministry of Defense announced. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said: “We are currently examining the request and the options that exist. But we are not at the end of the examination yet.”
Anti-piracy mission off Somalia as a role model?
Shipowners’ Association managing director Kröger referred to the experiences in protecting cargo ships against pirates in the Horn of Africa. “One of the most effective means was convoy travel, where naval ships accompanied merchant ships.” These have the necessary weapons on board to ward off drone and missile attacks.
From 2008 to 2022, the Bundeswehr took part in the EU mission “Atalanta” to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia. On the sea routes off Somalia, pirates had repeatedly carried out armed attacks on merchant ships and food transports from the United Nations World Food Program.
British warship shoots down drone over Red Sea
Meanwhile, a British warship shot down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, according to Defense Secretary Grant Shapps. The aircraft had merchant shipping in its sights, Shapps wrote in the short message service X (formerly Twitter). The destroyer “HMS Diamond” fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed the target. Shapps initially did not provide any further information about the origin of the drone. In addition to the “HMS Diamond”, the British Navy also has the frigate “HMS Lancaster” as well as three mine hunters and an auxiliary ship in use in the region to protect civilian shipping.
A few days ago, a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea responded to a distress call from a tanker that, according to American information, had been attacked by the Yemeni Houthi rebels. According to the responsible regional command of the US military, Houthi forces tried to get on board the tanker. But the attempt failed. Two rockets were then fired at the ship from areas in Yemen controlled by the Houthis. Both would have missed their target. In addition, a drone that was launched from this area was shot down.