Singapore has decided to contribute troops to the US-led international maritime security force created to counter attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the Asian financial and trade hub’s senior minister said on Tuesday. Announced.
Singapore is strategically located along important shipping routes between North Asia and the rest of the world, and plays an important role in trade finance. This role has traditionally been held by China, Japan and South Korea, making Singapore’s participation in the security forces particularly important.
The attack by Houthi rebels follows the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and subsequent Israeli war against Gaza militants, which pass through the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects markets in Asia and Europe. It was aimed at commercial ships.
The United States and its allies have launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect shipping traffic, with American, French and British warships patrolling the area.
Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament on Tuesday that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deployment will include a team from the Republic of Singapore Naval Information Fusion Center to assist with intelligence sharing and planners working with international partners. He said he plans to send a team. Operational plan.
He added that a senior national representative of the Republic will also be sent to the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) headquarters in Bahrain. The Minister said: “Singapore will work with the international community to ensure that key maritime lines of communication around the world remain open, especially when they are under threat from illicit activities by non-state actors and terrorist groups. It’s in our interest to be able to maintain it.” This was quoted in The Straits Times.
Dr Ng was responding to MPs’ questions about how the Red Sea attack would affect Singapore’s maritime security and whether the SAF would contribute to this effort. He noted that since January 7, the Yemen-based Houthis have attacked and attempted to hijack approximately 20 commercial ships in the Red Sea with missiles.
The Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, a container ship owned and operated by Denmark, was also attacked. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said the attack was aimed at showing support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The attack led all five of the world’s largest shipping companies to suspend shipping through the Red Sea, the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia, Dr Ng noted. He said the ongoing attacks were expected to have limited immediate impact on Singapore, as most of the republic’s vital supplies, such as food and medicine, were delivered by air or did not transit the Red Sea. Stated.
Local manufacturers are also likely to have sufficient spare stocks to avoid supply disruptions, but are concerned about increased business costs, he noted.
Dr Ng said Singapore is contributing to Operation Prosperity Guardian, a coalition of international maritime security forces in the Red Sea launched by the US on 19 December 2023. The operation is in line with the city-state’s three principles for maritime security cooperation announced at the United Nations General Assembly. Shangri-La Dialogue in 2005, when the Straits of Malacca and Singapore were under threat from piracy and maritime robbery.
The principle is that the primary responsibility for maritime security lies with coastal states. The international community has a role to play. And cooperation must comply with international law and respect the sovereignty of coastal states.
Operation Prosperity Guardian falls under the jurisdiction of Joint Task Force 153, one of five task forces under the CMF. Singapore has been a member of CMF since 2009. Dr Ng said the military operation would primarily focus on keeping vital sea lanes free, just as Singapore would want the support of the international community if something similar were to happen in nearby waters. Stated.
“Nevertheless, we have recognized and made clear that coastal states have a primary responsibility and that full efforts are needed. That is why we , we are encouraging the Red Army to work towards a diplomatic solution so that the problems at sea can be alleviated,” he said. Nevertheless, we recognize and are clear that the primary responsibility lies with the coastal states and that full efforts are required there, which is why we This is why we encourage coastal states and other countries to work towards a diplomatic solution. The problem can be alleviated, he said.
Dr Ng said that apart from Gaza, Singapore and the SAF continue to monitor developments in the region and the need for continued humanitarian assistance. He said the SAF had accepted the French military’s invitation to send two medical personnel to the French ship Dixmude. The Dixmude, anchored in the Egyptian port of El Arish, is a reconfigured hospital ship treating wounded people from Gaza. The Southern Air Force has accepted the offer and plans are underway to deploy the medical team to assist civilian casualties on the ground, Dr. Ng said.
Information provided by the agency.