We must protect the Red Sea from Houthi rebels
Earlier this month a British warship brought down an attack drone targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
It was the first time that our Navy had shot down an aerial target in anger in more than 30 years.
HMS Diamond, a Type 45 Destroyer that fired a Sea Viper missile to destroy the drone, had been sent to the Red Sea to bolster international efforts to keep open one of the world’s most important waterways.
The situation in the Red Sea is incredibly serious, and although it is thousands of miles away, it has an impact on everyone in Britain.
Some merchant shipping companies are being forced away from using the Red Sea route to transport goods around the world.
Twelve international companies have had to suspend passage through the Red Sea, including BP and the commercial shipping giant Maersk.
The effect is that container ships, as well as oil and chemical tankers, are having to take a 5,000-mile detour around Africa to reach Europe and elsewhere.
It is causing lengthy delays and disruption to global supply chains and is having an economic impact on prices in the shops – insurance costs for international shipping have already increased tenfold since early December.
Sailors’ lives at risk
The Houthi attacks – which have increased 500 per cent from November to December – put innocent sailors’ lives at risk, exacerbate the humanitarian suffering in Yemen and are destabilising the wider region.
Continued Red Sea aggression risks miscalculation and escalation which could trigger a region-wide conflict.
An international force is collecting in the region. Britain has joined the United States and others in Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure the freedom of navigation in the region.
London is host to the International Maritime Organization, meaning that we play a leading role in international maritime security and will continue to condemn in the strongest terms the illegal and unjustified attacks on commercial shipping.
There is a wider issue at risk here as well. This is a test for the international community – not least in terms of contested waterways elsewhere in the world.
If we do not protect the Red Sea, it risks emboldening those looking to threaten elsewhere including in the South China Sea and Crimea.
We need to stand firm with our allies, stand firm for our beliefs and stand firm for innocent people caught up in these events.
As HMS Diamond illustrated earlier in the month, we are willing to take direct action, and we won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: we are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.
