Shipping - Shipowners' association calls for naval protection with German participation
Following the attack on a container freighter belonging to Hamburg shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, the German Shipowners' Association has called for an international military alliance to protect civilian shipping in the Red Sea. "It would be appropriate if Germany were to participate accordingly," said Martin Kröger, Managing Director of the shipowners' association, on the Bayern 2 radio program "radioWelt" on Saturday, adding that the USA, France and England already have naval vessels in the region.
It is not just about protecting merchant ships, but also seafarers: "If you imagine that you are standing on a ship and you are being shot at with missiles and drones and cruise missiles, that is of course an escalation of violence that we have never seen before with merchant shipping and that is simply completely unacceptable," said Kröger. Previously, the Chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), had already advocated the possible involvement of the German Navy in protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
Kröger referred to the experience of protecting cargo ships against pirates in the Horn of Africa. "One of the most effective means was convoy trips, where naval vessels accompany merchant ships." These have the necessary weapons on board to fend off drone and missile attacks, explained the head of the shipowners' association.
The container freighter "Al Jasrah" was shot at and damaged in the strait between Yemen and Djibouti on Friday. According to the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, the ship was on its way from the Greek port of Piraeus through the Suez Canal to Singapore. Hapag-Lloyd has suspended shipping traffic through the Red Sea until Monday.
Radio report
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Source: www.stern.de
