Kallas: EU needs over 10 warships to protect Red Sea shipping

The European Union needs to deploy more than 10 warships to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea amid an escalating threat from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on September 21.

The EU’s Aspides naval mission was launched in 2024 to protect shipping from Houthi attacks. Diplomats say about six warships are currently operating as part of the mission, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“When Aspides was put in place, then the indication was that it needs at least 10 ships. The situation, I think, is even more grave right now,” Kallas told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Kallas said the Houthi attacks were affecting European interests and the global economy, while recent advances by the group along the Red Sea coast had further complicated shipping routes in a region already affected by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran war.

“The EU operation Aspides is making a crucial contribution to the security in the region and global shipping, but the operation needs more naval assets and more air assets to address the increased level of threats in the region,” she said.

Kallas sent a letter to the EU’s 27 member states on September 19 urging them to increase their contributions to the mission. She said the issue would be discussed at upcoming meetings of EU defence and foreign ministers.

Italy, one of the key participants in Aspides, announced on September 17 that it was preparing a separate naval mission to protect its own vessels in the region, saying it could not wait for an EU response to the deteriorating security situation.

In her letter, Kallas warned that the evolving situation was already affecting European interests and supply chains and could further strain economies facing higher fuel prices.

“This situation, which is still evolving as we speak, is already affecting European interests with repercussions on our supply chains and could have implications for our ability to support our economies which were already hit by rising fuel prices,” she said.

Kallas also said that while the Houthis had indicated they would target only Saudi-linked interests, uncertainty remained over how they would treat other vessels transiting the region.

“For the moment, although the Houthis communicate that they would only target Saudi-linked interests, there is uncertainty over their course of action with respect to vessels that transit through the Strait. Regardless, they are now in a better position to potentially harm maritime shipping.”

By Sabina Mammadli