Battle stations for EU task force in Red Sea as fleet continues to thwart rebel drone attacks and protect cargo ships

The EU fleet ordered to protect shipping vessels in the Red Sea has been at the heart of the action after crews were called to battle stations to defend against Houthi attacks.

French, German and Italian warships opened fire on Houthi drones launched at the fleet of European frigates and destroyers, which began Operation Aspides, the Greek name for “shield”, two weeks ago.

The task force of six warships is working separately from the

US-led fleet that has bombed the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, raising concerns over co-ordination.

The fleet has already experienced several attacks, with the most recent attempt on the Italian navy’s Caio Duilio destroyer. The warship shot down an attacking Houthi drone on Saturday.

Last Wednesday, the German frigate Hessen was the target of two drones that got to within about 3km of the vessel before it opened fire, with a shortrange missile shooting down one drone and the warship’s main 76mm gun destroying the other.

Despite emphasising an entirely defensive posture, the EU ships were drawn into action almost immediately when the operation began on February 19, after a French warship intercepted two attack drones.

“Clearly the EU ships are putting themselves in the right place, between the missiles and drones and the ships that they’re trying to protect,” said former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe. “That’s fine as long as they deconflict with what the US and UK ships are doing.”

However, the risks of having two separate fleets on the same task were highlighted when, on Tuesday last week, the Hessen’s radar detected a large drone.

Fearing a threat, the warship opened fire with two advanced long-range SM-2 missiles but missed due to a technical fault, the German navy reported.

It is understood to be the first time the German navy has opened fire on a hostile target since the Second World War. Shortly after firing, it transpired that the target was a US MQ-9 Reaper drone that had turned off its transponder.

Communications between the US and Germans had also failed to work.

The incident highlighted the confusion of operating two western navies in the same waters.

Mr Sharpe said the lack of co-ordination was both “insane and dangerous”.

He added that such mistakes could be a threat to airliners. “We’ve got various ships doing their own thing, plugged into their own networks,” he told The National.

“Aspides should essentially join with Operation Prosperity Guardian, which is also entirely defensive.

“That would make it a lot more effective in terms of asset management, logistics support and surface warfare management in protecting Red Sea shipping.”

Concerns over co-ordinating the two fleets, whose countries are all part of Nato but have a

separate chain of command, have also been raised by the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents about 80 per cent of the world’s merchant tonnage.

“Our questions about co-ordination across the various operations in the region have partly been answered,” the ICS’s John Stawpert told The National.

“But our biggest concern is clarity to shipping in terms of reporting of incidents.

“We would like to see a single phone number concept for a master to contact in an incident and are working with various militaries to realise that.”

Despite the Reaper drone incident, he said there was now “good communication and co-operation” on the tactical level between the fleets.

EU ministers have been keen to emphasise that the mission is purely defensive and will not attack Yemen.

“The rules of operation are strictly self-defence,” an EU official said.

This is in contrast to the fleet of US aircraft carriers, other warships and British destroyers, along with RAF jets based in Cyprus, that have struck Houthi missile and command centres on several occasions since January in Operation Poseidon Archer, which aims to secure the Red Sea waterway against Houthi attacks.

The Red Sea is one of the world’s major trade routes, carrying a third of global container traffic, as well as 9 million barrels a day of oil shipments, a tenth of global demand.

The attacks from Houthi rebels have severely disrupted trade routes, resulting in longer transit times. There has been a large drop in traffic in the waterway since the Iranbacked Houthis began their bombardments in support of Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people.

Israeli strikes and a ground incursion in Gaza have killed more than 30,500 people.

The additional six warships have been welcomed by the ICS as increasing the “protective dome” over the region, as well as intelligence gathering.

“This has increased reassurance to shipping because there are now more assets that would be able to come to your aid,” said Mr Stawpert.

The Houthis have said they will keep attempting strikes even amid US-led bombing missions.

Last week, the Houthis struck the Rubymar cargo ship with two ballistic missiles.

The vessel became the first to sink since the Houthis began attacks in mid-November against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al Mandeb strait.

The EU ships are putting themselves in the right place, between the missiles and the ships they’re trying to protect TOM SHARPE

Former Royal Navy commander