Italy’s minister calls for more ships to protect Red Sea navigation
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Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the only nations really supporting security efforts in the area are Italy and Greece.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Italy’s defence minister urges more naval ships to secure Red Sea shipping amid rising threats from Iran-backed Houthis near Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
- Italy acts independently, citing slow EU response and European bureaucracy, preparing naval mission to protect vital maritime trade routes.
- About 40 per cent of Italy’s trade passes through the Suez Canal; increased naval presence aims to safeguard this essential corridor and global oil shipments.
AI generated
ROME – Italy’s defence minister on Sept 18 called for a stronger naval presence in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping amid concerns over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital waterway threatened by the widening Middle East conflict.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have made rapid advances in recent weeks along the Red Sea coast, further complicating routes in a region that also includes the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic had already dwindled because of the US-Iran war.
Italy, part of the European Union’s Aspides mission, launched in 2024 to protect shipping from Houthi attacks, on Sept 17 said it was preparing a naval mission in the area, saying it could not wait for the EU to respond to the new crisis.
“After what I said, something moved within Aspides, but we need more ships,” said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, a senior ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“The only nations really supporting (security efforts) are Italy and Greece,” he added, declining to estimate how many vessels would be needed to secure the area.
‘European bureaucracy’
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is 29km wide at its narrowest point and is one of the world’s most important maritime routes, carrying goods and commodities from Asia to Europe through the Suez Canal.
According to commodities data and analytics firm Kpler, petroleum volumes transiting the Bab el-Mandeb accounted for about 7 per cent of global oil output in June.
Assarmatori, one of the main associations representing Italian shipowners, said about 40 per cent of Italy’s trade with the rest of the world passes through the Suez Canal.
On Sept 17, Crosetto said Rome had decided to act with its navy because it did not want the response to be held back by what he called “European bureaucracy”, warning that delays could worsen the situation.
Rome has not detailed what measures it is considering or what naval assets it could send to the area.
Assarmatori President Stefano Messina welcomed Crosetto’s move and said it was in line with what shipowners had been calling for.
“The Italian Navy, which has also demonstrated great expertise and preparedness in this area, is capable of operating while awaiting decisions that the European Union will take regarding the Aspides mission,” he said. REUTERS