French warship escorts about 10 vessels through Bab al-Mandeb

A French warship escorted about 10 vessels through the Bab al-Mandeb strait over the past week, a French army spokesperson said on Thursday. The ship is part of Aspides, the EU mission that protects shipping from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. [2] [1]

The escorts come amid a shortage of ships available for the mission. On 28 September, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said commercial vessels were waiting for protection because Aspides did not have enough frigates capable of escorting them. She said the mission had fewer than the 10 ships envisaged when it was established. [4] [5]

The US Maritime Administration says Houthi attacks on commercial vessels have resumed, though recent incidents have been fewer. It assesses vessels linked to Israel, the US, Britain or Saudi Arabia as facing higher risk. [11]