German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Germany is sending two ships in the Red Sea in preparation for a possible military mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
Officials in the shipping and insurance sectors called for the urgent deployment of ships to clear the strait of mines, hours after US President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran to end a war that has disrupted global energy supplies.
“At this moment, the Fulda minesweeper and the supply ship Moselle are sailing through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea,” Pistorius told reporters upon his arrival in Brussels to attend a meeting with his counterparts from NATO countries.
He added that any participation in a mine clearance operation would require the approval of Iran and the Sultanate of Oman, and noted that any mission would also depend on developments in the talks between Iran and the United States, but he did not disclose a time frame for that participation.
Sources in the shipping and maritime security sector told Reuters that ensuring that the strait is free of mines may delay the return of shipping traffic to normal for weeks.
Germany will also send unmanned submarines, mine-clearing submarines, and ship protection teams.
France and Britain are pushing to form a multinational naval mission, but diplomats say that Iran has shown strong opposition to any foreign military presence in the waterway, and may seek to impose transit fees on ships, which represents a red line for European powers.
Greek government officials said that Athens is ready to send assets to support mine clearance efforts, but a government spokesman indicated on Thursday that no concrete practical decision has yet been taken in this regard.
Sheila Cameron, chief executive of the Lloyd’s Market Association, said the mine threat remained a major obstacle to resuming trade in the region.
“It requires continuous monitoring of sea lanes to provide reassurance and confidence to ship owners and crews,” she added.
Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at the International Baltic Sea and Maritime Council (Bimco), said that both sides of the conflict must provide reliable guarantees before shipping traffic fully returns to previous levels.
He added, “The danger of mines in the region remains a source of immediate and near-term concern, and mine-free corridors must be identified.”
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