German air defense frigate Hessen deploys to the Red Sea

COLOGNE, Germany — German air defense frigate Hessen set sail Thursday from the country’s northern port city of Wilhelmshaven toward the Red Sea, marking Berlin’s contribution to a growing international naval protection force for cargo ships transiting the crucial commercial route.

The ship’s official destination is the Mediterranean Sea for now, as the crew awaits national and European Union mandates that would task the commander with pushing for the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking merchant vessels with drones and missiles for months. Backed by Iran, the militants claim to be acting out of solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, where Israel is battling the militant group.

The Red Sea mission is different from the ship’s most recent deployment involving NATO duties in the North and Baltic seas because the likelihood for combat action is high, Cmdr. Volker Kübsch, the Hessen’s commanding officer, was quoted as saying in a German Navy statement.

The Hessen is one of three Sachsen-class ships in the service’s fleet, and the only type deemed survivable enough for the task. Navy Chief Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack said the ship’s prospective deployment under the EU’s Aspides mission would last “for a few months,” suggesting the fleet is too small to remain in the Red Sea much longer through the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, Houthi attacks against merchant ships have continued despite American and British strikes aimed at curtailing the group’s weapons-launching capabilities.

The commander of British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond, one of the first on the scene in December as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, described the situation in the Red Sea as “fraught,” according to a BBC report . “Ships in the force are firing on a daily basis,” Cmdr. Pete Evans said Feb. 6.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——德国防空护卫舰“黑森”号周四从德国北部港口城市威廉港启航前往红海，这标志着柏林为日益壮大的国际海军护航力量做出了贡献，该力量旨在保护途经这条重要商业航线的货船。

目前，这艘军舰的官方目的地是地中海，船员们正在等待国家和欧盟的指令，这些指令将要求舰长向红海和亚丁湾推进。也门胡塞武装已在亚丁湾使用无人机和导弹袭击商船数月之久。这些武装分子在伊朗的支持下，声称他们的行动是为了声援加沙地带的哈马斯，而以色列正在加沙地带与哈马斯作战。

据德国海军声明，黑森号舰长沃尔克·库布施中校表示，此次红海任务与该舰最近一次在北海和波罗的海执行北约任务的部署不同，因为此次任务发生战斗的可能性很高。

“黑森”号是海军舰队中三艘萨克森级舰艇之一，也是唯一被认为具备执行此次任务生存能力的舰艇。海军司令扬·克里斯蒂安·卡克中将表示，该舰根据欧盟“阿斯派德斯”行动计划的部署预计将持续“几个月”，这意味着海军舰队规模太小，无法在今年下半年继续在红海驻扎太久。

与此同时，尽管美国和英国发动了旨在削弱胡塞武装武器发射能力的打击行动，但胡塞武装对商船的袭击仍在继续。

据BBC报道，英国皇家海军驱逐舰“钻石”号的舰长形容红海局势“十分紧张”。“钻石”号是去年12月首批抵达红海的舰艇之一，参与了由美国领导的“繁荣卫士行动”。2月6日，指挥官皮特·埃文斯表示：“部队中的舰艇每天都在开火。”

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。