Move FM Global News

LONDON, UK – The United Kingdom has ratcheted up its commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation and safe passage for international shipping through the Gulf.

The UK said it intends playing a leading role in a new international maritime security mission, which will see the Royal Navy working alongside the U.S. navy to assure security of merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Events in the Gulf over the last four months, including attacks on four tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and the seizure of the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, have seen the threat to commercial shipping rise. The Strait of Hormuz is the busiest narrow shipping passage in the world and a vital transit zone with 20% of the world’s oil passing through it every year.

Following discussions at an international conference in Bahrain last week, Britain has agreed to join an international mission which will largely draw on assets already in the region to increase inter-state maritime cooperation. The UK has also offered to lead one of the mission’s Maritime Task Groups.

HMS Duncan arrived in the Gulf last week and will join HMS Montrose which covers an operating area of some 19,000 nautical miles. HMS Montrose, which will come off duty at the end of August, has so far accompanied 35 merchant vessels through the Strait during 20 separate transits, travelling 6,200 nautical miles in the process, the Royal Navy said.

While the government says the exact operational details are being determined, the international maritime mission is intended to improve coordination between different countries’ militaries and commercial shipping. Both the UK and U.S. say they are committed to working with allies and partners to encourage others to join and broaden the response to whay=t they decsribe as a truly international problem.

This new coordinated effort will bolster the work the UK says it has already undertaken, including through HMS Duncan and HMS Montrose escorting UK-flagged ships. At the same time, the UK government says it remains committed to working with Iran to reduce the current tensions and to the Iranian nuclear deal as the best means of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.

“The UK is determined to ensure her shipping is protected from unlawful threats and for that reason we have today joined the new maritime security mission in the Gulf,” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday.

“Upholding international maritime law and freedom of passage is in all our interests. We are seeing, across our seas and oceans, too many incidents that seek to challenge such freedoms. The UK is proud to be partnering with other members of the international community to uphold the rules-based approach. The deployment of Royal Navy assets is a sign of our commitment to our UK flagged vessels and we look forward to working alongside the U.S. and others to find an international solution to the problems in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab added, “It is vital to secure the freedom for all international shipping to navigate the Strait of Hormuz without delay, given the increased threat. This deployment will reinforce security and provide reassurance for shipping. Our aim is to build the broadest international support to uphold freedom of navigation in the region, as protected under international law.”

“Our approach to Iran hasn’t changed. We remain committed to working with Iran and our international partners to de-escalate the situation and maintain the nuclear deal,” the British foreign secretary said.