Canada Joins Multinational Effort to Counter Attacks on Commercial Ships in Red Sea

Houthi fighters gather during a military manoeuvre near Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 30, 2023. Houthi Media Center/Handout via REUTERS/File photo

Canada will participate in a U.S.-led multinational effort to help protect commercial ships travelling through the Red Sea, as Houthi rebels in Yemen carry out attacks in response to Israel’s military operation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Canada’s participation will be limited to the deployment of three staff officers, according to Defence Minister Bill Blair. Two military planners and one intelligence analyst will take part in the mission.

“The operation has been stood up to protect the free flow of commerce and safety of navigation into the Red Sea and Western Gulf of Aden, through which one-sixth of the global economic trade passes,” said a Dec. 19 release from the Department of National Defence.

The military members will deploy as part of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Operation Artemis in support of security and peace in Middle Eastern waters.

The new initiative was announced by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Dec. 18, under the name Operation Prosperity Guardian.

“The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law,” said Mr. Austin in a statement.

The new operation will take place under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 39-nation naval partnership involved in countering illicit non-state actors in the high seas. Five CAF officers are currently involved in various CMF task forces.

Other countries participating in the new mission include Bahrain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, and the U.K.

The Iran-backed rebel Houthis control swathes of territory in Yemen, which is strategically located on a major shipping route accounting for one-sixth of global trade.

Ships seeking to travel via the Suez Canal in Egypt must cross the 32 km-wide Bab-el-Mandeb Strait across from Yemen to gain access to the Red Sea.

In recent weeks, and after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles and using drones against ships.

The Iran-backed group has been involved in a proxy war against Saudi Arabia in recent years, with its weapons trained on Tehran’s archenemy. The group says it has also launched ballistic missiles at Israel in recent days.

Major oil producers and shipping companies have started rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope on Africa’s southernmost tip, adding days to the journey and increasing costs.

The U.S. says it’s been active in shooting down a number of Houthi drones, but it cannot protect all ships.

The U.S. military Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the chemical/oil tanker Swan Atlantic was attacked on Dec. 18 by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile.

CENTCOM’s naval forces, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, are based out of the kingdom island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.

Reuters contributed to this report.