Another attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden during Eisenhower’s homecoming prompts European Navy to ponder additional presence in the region.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO), the commercial vessel reported the explosion 126 nautical miles east of the Yemeni port city of Aden. The ship’s captain saw explosions in the vicinity of the vessel. UKMTO said, without specifying whether the ship suffered any damage, that the crew is supposedly “safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”
Associated Press reported the fire set by the Houthis comes after the sinking of the USS Tutor this week, while US officials ordered the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which led America’s response to the Houthi attacks, to return home.
The assault marks a new branch of tension for the Houthis in their ongoing campaign of attacks on ships in the vital sea corridor because of the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthis have launched more than 60 attacks on specific vessels, as well as other missiles and drones, killing a total of four sailors. In March, the Rubymar vessel became the first to sink in the Red Sea after several days in the water. The Houthis claim their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the US or Britain.
EU navy seeks to double fleet in Red Sea
The head of the navy, Vasileios Gryparis, said the European Union’s deployed naval force is set to more than double in the wake of escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen. Griparis has been in Brussels this week to lobby for additional resources. According to him, since the EU mission has a defence mandate, any increase in the size of its fleet patrolling the Red Sea would allow the force to expand its geographical reach.
Rear Admiral Gryparis told Bloomberg: “We don’t have that many assets and the whole area we have to cover is enormous. I am pressing all the member states to provide more assets. (…) We don’t believe that hitting the Houthis might solve the problem. Some other countries tried similar actions some years ago and some other countries still do and we see that it is not contributing to the solution to the problem.”
The naval chief is referring to the US and UK bombing campaign that failed to stop the attacks, instead having the opposite effect. The Houthis have warned of an expanded operation to potentially attack ships in the Mediterranean, without providing much evidence of the scale of such an operation.
Four EU ships have been patrolling the waters off the coast of Yemen since February, which have assisted 164 ships, shot down more than a dozen drones and destroyed four anti-ship ballistic missiles, according to Griparis. Operation Aspides’ current mandate expires in February 2025, although Griparis said he expects it to be extended.
