Germany To Join EU Naval Mission For Red Sea Security

The German government has declared that it will be part of a naval mission to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea that attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthi forces have substantially disrupted.

During a political reception on Sunday, the operation would involve the frigates of EU member states providing defensive protection for commerce vessels, said Maria-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag military committee. An EU mandate would govern the proposal and involve naval ships from other countries.

The Germans may not get involved for weeks. According to Welt am Sonntag, Hessen, the German air defence frigate is to be ready to leave on February 1, though that needs parliamentary clearance. In Germany’s fleet, Hessen is one of the three Sachsen-class frigates, a multirole surface combatant. Just two would stay after the deployment to guard German waters in the North and the Baltic Seas.

German industrial companies have incurred a quantifiable cost due to the Red Sea disruption. For containerized freight, shipping times to Northern Europe from Asia have jumped by ten days, and the cost per TEU has risen dramatically.

As a result of Houthi’s disruption of containerized freight shipments, challenges with component supply have forced Tesla to declare a two-week production stoppage at its Berlin manufacturing facility. This does not apply to any locations outside of Germany. As stated in a statement from Tesla, prolonged transit times have created a massive gap in supply chains.

Automaker Volvo recently stated that it will be halting production at its Belgian plant for three days due to “adjusted sea routes” and delays in its gearbox component supply chain.

Reference: Reuters

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Source: Maritime Shipping News