The decision follows recent attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea launched from Yemeni ports by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement while visiting Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based.
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain are participating in the new force. Lloyd said It will conduct joint patrols in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
“This is an international challenge that calls for collective action today I announce the establishment of Operation Guardian of Prosperity, a major multinational security initiative.Austin said.
“We are taking steps to organize an international coalition to respond to this threat,” the US defense secretary said in Israel earlier Monday. “We are doing everything we can to ensure freedom of navigation in the region.”
As labor force 153 already functioning in that country, The new security force is intended to give merchant ship owners confidence that Houthi attacks will be contained and the Red Sea route safe.
The U.S. hopes to strengthen the existing task force that patrols the Red Sea route, which is part of the 39-nation Voluntary Maritime Alliance.
“What we’re trying to do is strengthen it, strengthen it, activate it in a way that it didn’t before these Houthi attacks,” US Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. -fair.
“They can protect ships from missile or drone attacks, or prevent a ship from being diverted. Or they can choose to escort ships. The alternative is to use resources aggressively,” said Mick Mulroy, a former North American defense expert. Financial Times.
The United States has not yet ruled out the possibility of striking Houthi targets if the actions of the Yemeni rebels continue. “The country will take appropriate action at a time and place of our choosing,” a North American official said earlier in the month.
The attacks take place when the ships are sailing through the Bad el-Mendeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea and are within Houthi territory.
Since the start of the war in October, Yemeni military operations against the world trade have escalated, with more than 11 attacks recorded since mid-November alone.
On Sunday, the United States said one of its warships, the USS Carney, shot down 14 drones launched by the rebel group, pointing the finger at Iran.
Shipping companies avoid the area
The Houthis say they are targeting Israeli companies, merchants and transport or products destined for Israel in retaliation for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Five major merchant shipping companies have so far abandoned the route following Yemeni attacks.
Due to the “poor” nature of security, oil giant BP announced the suspension of its tankers in the Red Sea this Monday while it “monitors” the situation.
French shipping company CMA CGM said it was diverting some of its ships to the Cape of Good Hope route, while others were advised to stop their voyages “in a safe place”.
More than nine million barrels of oil per day pass through this route, nearly a tenth of global demand.
Trafigura, one of the largest primary commodities traders, said last week it was “taking extra precautions” for its own and leased vessels.
Marseille-based CMA CGM Group announced on its website this Monday that “all container ships scheduled to pass through the Red Sea have already been advised to move to a safe area and stop sailing until further orders”.
Several shipping companies, including MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, have suspended routes through the Red Sea due to safety concerns.
BP, one of the biggest oil exploration companies in Iraq and Oman, justified the decision to divert its marine traffic due to the “deteriorating security situation”. region.
The news sent crude oil prices higher on MondayThe Brent index traded at nearly $79 a barrel, up 2.6 percent.
Retailers are nervous about threats to Qatar’s liquefied gas supplies to Europe during the winter months.
The retail price of gas in the United Kingdom increased by more than eight percent this Monday, with a seven percent increase in the European market.
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