EU extends mandate of Aspides in Red Sea for another year

The European Union has decided to extend the mandate of its naval mission to protect commercial shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for an additional year.

The European Union Council said in a press statement on Friday that it "approved the extension of the mandate of the maritime security operation to protect freedom of navigation in relation to the Red Sea crisis ( EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ) until February 28, 2026."

The statement added that the Council took the decision following the strategic review process of the naval operation, with a reference amount of more than 17 million euros.

Furthermore, the Council decided that in order to ensure maritime situational awareness in the area of operations, ASPIDES should be able to “collect information, in addition to data necessary for the protection of ships, on arms trafficking and shadow fleets with a view to sharing this information with Member States, the European Commission, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the International Maritime Organization ( IOM )”.

The Union launched Operation Aspides on 19 February 2024 as a defensive maritime security operation aimed at restoring and protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf.

The operation operates along key sea lines of communication in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as international waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf, and ensures an EU naval presence in the region where numerous Houthi attacks have targeted international merchant vessels since October 2023.