Canada joins multinational operation to counter Red Sea commercial ship attacks

BP tanker

The United Kingdom, Bahrain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the U.S. and Canada in the new mission, Austin announced. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the operation early Tuesday while traveling to through the Middle East. He noted during a press conference with Israel’s defence minister in Tel Aviv on Monday that the U.S. was creating an “international coalition to address this threat.”

“These attacks are reckless, dangerous and they violate international law,” he told reporters.

The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to reroute or hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandab Strait until the security situation can be addressed.

About 10 per cent of the world’s good flows through the Red Sea, which spans the Bab el-Mandab Strait in the south to the Suez Canal in the north. It’s one of the most valuable trade routes connecting Asia to Europe and North America.

The attacks have led companies to pause entry into the waterway or reroute entirely to avoid the area. Marsek, the world’s largest shipping firm, said it was ordering its ships not to enter the Bab el-Mandab Strait indefinitely. MSC and CMA CGM have made similar moves.

Experts say any long-standing disruption in the Red Sea will have similar impacts on the flow of goods coming in and out of Canada and around the world, and it may take several months to recover, pointing to the Ever Given blockage as an example. |[globalnews.ca/news/10178169/re…) | globalnews.ca/news/10178169/re…

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