Shipping companies reportedly are in the dark Wednesday regarding the logistics of a U.S.-led coalition announced this week to protect vessels transiting the Red Sea, which have come under attack in recent weeks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen.
Sources including shipping and maritime security officials told Reuters that few details are known about how the coalition will work.
“There are still a number of unknowns with the coalition. We don’t know exactly how many warships will be involved, how long it will take those vessels to get to the region, or their rules of engagement and the actual protection scheme that will be put in place,” Corey Ranslem, chief executive of British maritime risk advisory and security company Dryad Global, told Reuters.
“Globally this is a fairly small area, however providing protection to commercial vessels in this region could be a major undertaking depending on the number of vessels along with any changes to the Houthi tactics,” he added.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement Tuesday that “The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law. “
“Operation Prosperity Guardian
is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity,” Austin added.
One source was quoted by Reuters as saying “”Will they do anything except swat the missiles out of the sky? If that’s all, then will it give the assurances that are needed for shipping companies? We don’t know yet.”
