The European Union has announced that commercial ships are currently waiting for naval escorts in the Red Sea, while the fleet's capacity is not enough to meet this demand. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, raised this issue at a meeting of European defense ministers in Brussels.
Number of Commercial Ships Waiting for Escort
Borrell noted that "commercial ships are in line waiting for escorts" and emphasized that the EU does not have enough corvettes available to protect these vessels. In recent months, the number of container ships returning to the Suez route has significantly increased. According to reports, consultancy Linerlytica has counted more container ships on this route.
Last week marked the busiest week for container ships passing through the Suez Canal since 2024, with 30 vessels with a capacity of over 4000 TEU transiting the canal.
Italy's Readiness for Independent Action
Previous reports indicated that Italy was preparing to act independently without waiting for "Aspidis" coordination for Italy-related ships. At that time, about 10 Italian ships under Italian control or flagged were awaiting safe passage. The Aspidis operation, launched in 2024 as a defensive operation to protect commercial ships from Houthi attacks, has come under significant pressure due to new security conditions.
Borrell added that this mission initially assessed the need for at least 10 ships, but the security environment has now become significantly more challenging, and available assets are far below this level.
Security Challenges and Houthi Activities
The shortage of naval vessels has sharply increased due to new Houthi activities and the seizure of areas overlooking Bab al-Mandab, including Perim Island. Two EU countries have announced that they may provide additional ships, but Brussels is particularly looking for corvettes and more air defense capabilities rather than simply increasing the number of vessels.
As the security of commercial ships in the Red Sea is becoming a serious challenge for the European Union, the need to strengthen the naval fleet and enhance international cooperation in this regard is increasingly felt.
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