Dutch Navy sending frigate to defend ships in the Red Sea after fatal Houthi assault
The Netherlands will send a heavily-armed naval frigate to the Red Sea after Houthi rebels in Yemen fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, killing three crew members. Three others were critically wounded on the ship, the M/V True Confidence, and a fourth person was hurt, according to U.S. Central Command.
The attack on Wednesday morning was the fifth ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in two days. The crew abandoned the ship due to the significant damage caused by the attack.
Sources confirmed to NOS and ANP that the Dutch Navy will dispatch the Zr. Ms. Tromp to the region with 200 crew members. They will reach the area by the end of the month to protect one of the most efficient and commercially viable shipping routes between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The mission will be to protect ships by defending them from aerial assaults, sources told NOS. The ship is an "air defence and command" frigate from the "De Seven Provinciën class," according to the Navy.
"The defense function means that it must be able to protect a fleet as a whole. The command function means that the ship can take a complete operational staff on board. The commander of this staff is then in charge of several ships; a squadron or fleet," the Navy noted.
The Cabinet sent a letter about the plan to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, to comply with Article 100 of the Dutch Constitution. This calls for advanced notification of military operations under the context of international law, and gives Tweede Kamer members a chance to vote on the measure.
A formal decision from the Cabinet will likely be announced following the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday. Even though a majority in Parliament is expected to support the Cabinet, the vote is largely symbolic. The Tweede Kamer cannot stop the Cabinet from moving forward with its plan.
The crew was already expected to depart the Netherlands for the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, and then to other global destinations afterwards.
