Italy Says EU Naval Forces Insufficient to Secure Red Sea Shipping

GOOBJOOG NEWS|ROME: Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has said the naval forces contributed by European Union member states to Operation Aspides remain insufficient to guarantee the safety of commercial shipping through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Crosetto made the remarks following talks in Rome with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. He welcomed decisions by some member states to increase their contributions to the mission but said the additional capacity was still not enough to ensure safe passage through the strategic maritime corridor.

Diplomatic sources said Aspides currently has six warships deployed. Kallas has previously said the mission requires more than 10 vessels to effectively carry out its mandate, particularly given the size of the Red Sea and growing security threats around Bab al-Mandab.

Italy has said it is prepared to deploy its own naval assets to the region if collective EU decisions on additional deployments are delayed. Rome has warned that continued disruption to maritime traffic could increase shipping costs, delay goods and ultimately push up prices for households and businesses.

Operation Aspides was launched by the European Union in 2024 to protect commercial vessels from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis. The continuing threat along the Red Sea coast and around Bab al-Mandab has complicated efforts to secure one of the world’s most important shipping corridors, connecting Asia and the Middle East with Europe.

Aspides is separate from the EU’s Operation Atalanta, which focuses primarily on counter-piracy and maritime security off Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. Atalanta’s mandate includes coordination with Aspides and other maritime security operations, although the two missions have different mandates and operational areas.

An expansion of Aspides could affect maritime security alerts, merchant-vessel protection and coordination among naval forces operating across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

For Somalia, the deployment also raises questions over how European naval resources are distributed between the Red Sea and the waters off the Somali coast. Any reinforcement of Aspides will need to be balanced against the continuing requirements of Operation Atalanta as piracy remains a threat in Somali waters and Houthi-related risks affect shipping across the wider region.