Italy plans naval escorts for merchant ships in Bab el-Mandeb

Italy is preparing to use naval assets already deployed in the Red Sea under the European Union’s Aspides mission to escort Italian merchant vessels through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, amid growing concerns over the safety of commercial shipping.

Rome is considering placing the vessels under national command rather than waiting for the EU operation to determine when and how to act, Brussels Signal reports. 

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced the plan on September 17 while speaking at the Risorsa Mare Forum in La Spezia, northwestern Italy, criticising what he described as European bureaucracy and delays.

His comments came amid recent Houthi advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, and growing concerns over the security of merchant shipping.

According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, the corridor has come under the control of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militias in recent weeks.

Crosetto said Italy had decided “not to wait for Aspides” to determine whether ships could pass.

“When a sea route is interrupted, goods arrive late, costs rise and prices increase for families and businesses,” Crosetto said, according to La Nazione.

Rome would “likely take action” to allow Italian vessels to transit the strait, he said, “without waiting for European bureaucracy” to slow the process.

Crosetto warned that delaying action could hold back the economy and further worsen the situation.

Aspides, formally known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, is the EU’s defensive maritime security operation established in February 2024 following repeated Houthi attacks on international commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Its mandate includes accompanying and protecting vessels and safeguarding freedom of navigation along key maritime routes, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

By Sabina Mammadli