As of: February 8, 2024, 3:19 p.m
By: Christiane Kühl, Peter Sieben
Comments
Press
Split
Houthi attacks paralyze global supply chains.
The EU is now stepping in.
Germany is also sending the frigate “Hessen”.
But experts believe that this alone is not enough to be a turning point.
Berlin – The Red Sea is now something of a no-go area.
Houthi rebels have been repeatedly attacking merchant ships for months.
Global supply chains are severely disrupted.
A military coalition now wants to end this.
Now Germany is also involved in the operation against the Houthis: On Thursday, the German frigate “Hessen” left for a planned EU military operation in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping there against attacks by the militant Islamist Houthi militia.
The warship set off from the German Navy's largest base in Wilhelmshaven with around 240 soldiers on board.
Marine inspector Jan Christian Kaack said: “This is the most serious operation by a German naval unit in many decades.” However, the international fight against the Houthis is likely to take many more months, believes Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project initiative (CEP).
“This won’t be over in two or three months.
The coalition will have to stay on site for a long time,” says Schindler in an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
It is not enough to destroy the Houthi rebels' missiles, drones and weapons.
“You have to secure the area to such an extent that global shipping companies regain confidence in their ships sailing there.”
Houthi rebels in the Red Sea: “Coalition will have to stay on site for a long time”
Large shipping companies such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and Cosco no longer allow ships to sail there.
Many are currently taking alternative routes around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope - this can add weeks to journey times and cause the prices for shipped goods to skyrocket.
Officially, the Islamist Houthis want to support Hamas in the war in Israel.
But: “It is by no means only directed against ships that go to Israeli ports.
“They attack everything that moves there in order to endanger the global flow of goods,” says Schindler.
In view of this danger, the EU states reached a political agreement in principle at the end of January to launch a military operation to secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
EU military operation planned in the Red Sea against Houthi rebels
European warships and airborne early warning systems to protect cargo ships are involved.
However, participation in the ongoing US attacks against Houthi positions in Yemen is not planned.
The German frigate “Hessen” is equipped, among other things, with anti-aircraft missiles.
The 143 meter long ship was specially designed for escort and maritime control.
According to the Bundeswehr, its radar can monitor airspace the size of the entire North Sea.
The anti-aircraft missiles therefore range more than 160 kilometers.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) recently called for preparations for the planned EU military operation to be completed quickly.
The attacks by the Houthi rebels are attacking one of the “central arteries of free shipping and thus also of world trade”.
German companies in China, for example, are also feeling this, as they often have the goods they produce there transported through the Red Sea to Europe.
Companies are worried, said Ulf Reinhardt, CEO of the German Chamber of Commerce in China a few weeks ago when presenting the current AHK business climate index.
The situation is very worrying.
“It affects the freight rates for containers, shipping routes and journey times.” In China in particular, people still remember the country’s zero-Covid policy.
Back then, too, freight prices skyrocketed and gigantic ship traffic jams formed in front of the major ports.
My news
2 hours ago
Biden claims to have spoken to Helmut Kohl about the storming of the Capitol - but he had already been dead for four years
2 hours ago
Major NATO maneuvers on Russia's border are imminent - Kremlin announces huge reaction
Kristina Schröder: “I will not go to any event where there is a demonstration against the 'right'” read
NATO's major maneuver Quadriga is gaining momentum: How the Bundeswehr is involved read
Heavy fighting against Wagner mercenaries in Africa: Video shows interrogation by Ukrainian special forcesread
Michelle Obama instead of Joe Biden – Spectacular secret plan against Trump? read
Iran uses Houthi rebels as a means to an end
The Houthis are supported by the Iranians, who use the Yemeni rebels as a means to an end, according to Hans-Jakob Schindler: "One of the Iranians' goals is to severely disrupt and bleed their rivals, the Saudis." Saudi Arabia borders Yemen and fights the Houthi rebels.
The Iranians, in turn, see Saudi Arabia as competition in the Middle East.
“Iran supports the Houthis in the conflict in Yemen just enough so that they cannot lose, but cannot win either,” says Hans-Jakob Schindler.
The Iranians regularly supply the Yemeni militia with weapons and technology.
(with dpa)