German Frigate Joins EU Naval Mission to Secure Red Sea Routes

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The German frigate Hessen has joined the European Union's naval mission to secure sea routes in the Red Sea amid increased attacks on cargo ships by the Houthis, the German Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

On February 8, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius unveiled Berlin's plans to send Hessen with a crew of 240 soldiers for participation in the EU mission in the Red Sea.

"The frigate Hessen has arrived in the Red Sea. Its mission [to ensure] safe sea lanes begins," the ministry said on X (formerly Twitter).

Apart from 240 servicepeople, the frigate carries a team of two Sea Lynx helicopters, as well as a medical team, marines and a chaplain.

The 469-foot-long warship is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles, a radar reconnaissance system capable of tracking 1,000 targets simultaneously, and attack helicopters. Hessen is specifically designed for escort and surveillance and can monitor airspace over an area the size of the entire North Sea, the ministry said, adding that its anti-aircraft missiles can reach targets over 99 miles away.

The frigate is expected to remain in the Red Sea until the end of April, the ministry said in another statement on its official website, adding that in the second half of the year, Berlin would send the Hamburg frigate in the region.

The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.

On February 12, the European Union published a decision to launch Operation Aspides to secure navigation in the Red Sea amid ongoing attacks on civilian vessels by the Houthis. The mission was officially launched at a meeting of the EU foreign ministers on February 19. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc's mission would not participate in actions against the Houthis, but would only ensure the safety of navigation.