BRUSSELS: The EU will expand its naval operations in the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean, but will for now refrain from taking part in any potential missions to secure oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, member states said on Monday, reported German news agency dpa.
Under an updated mandate, vessels and aircraft deployed in two of the bloc’s maritime missions will be authorised to collect information on suspicious activities linked to critical undersea infrastructure.
The expansion will also include training activities for the naval forces of Djibouti and cooperation with the Yemeni coast guard.
The measures concern the European Union’s ASPIDES and ATALANTA missions. ASPIDES, launched in mid-2024, aims to protect commercial shipping, particularly from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia. ATALANTA, meanwhile, has been in operation since 2008 and was originally established to combat piracy in the region.
Diplomats stressed that the planned expansion is not linked to calls by US President Donald Trump for European allies to help safeguard oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran.
According to EU officials, the move is partly aimed at improving monitoring of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, used to circumvent a price cap on its oil exports imposed by Western supporters of Ukraine.
The fleet is also suspected of being involved in sabotage activities targeting underwater infrastructure. -BERNAMA-dpa
