Live Middle East | Frigate Louise-Marie ready for missions on the Red Sea

Frigate Louise-Marie ready for missions on the Red Sea

After longer than planned training in the Mediterranean, the Belgian frigate Louise-Marie has been declared suitable for participation in the European mission in the Red Sea and the operation in the Strait of Hormuz. This was learned from the army on Saturday, he said Belga.

The frigate left Zeebrugge on March 10 with about 170 people on board. The ship first departed for several weeks of training in the Mediterranean, but the transit through the Suez Canal, initially scheduled for April 12, was postponed. The ship’s commander (Captain Helena Vande Gaer) and the general staff had decided to extend the frigate’s training period as a result of previous training and technical tests that are not achieving the full intended results for the time being.

But now the ship has been declared suitable for European missions. Next week, the Louise-Marie will visit a port on the Mediterranean Sea for supplies, before sailing to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal, a spokesperson said.

The frigate will then take part in the European Operation Aspides, an operation of a defensive nature to guarantee the safety of merchant ships. The operation was launched in light of attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial ships since November, claiming to support the Palestinians in the conflict with Israel.

Afterwards it will go to the Strait of Hormuz on the Persian Gulf to participate in Task Force Agenor, the maritime pillar of the multilateral operation ‘European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz’.