Saudi Arabia has announced the appointment of a commander for a recently created multinational maritime alliance to protect Red Sea trade routes from attacks by Iran's allies.
The Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition was announced following a meeting in Riyadh on July 30 of military representatives from 43 nations. The meeting came days after the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen declared a blockade of Saudi ports and shipping in the Red Sea in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.
Saudi Admiral Abdullah Al Shehri will oversee the alliance's joint naval command, co-ordinate planning among member states and partner maritime coalitions, and supervise the implementation of joint operations and activities under the alliance's charter, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
The ministry said the appointment would help complete the alliance's command structure and improve its operational readiness, enabling member states to begin joint programmes, information sharing, capacity-building and combined training and exercises.
The 13 other countries in the coalition have not yet been named. The Defence Ministry said the admission of new members and remaining institutional arrangements would be discussed at a meeting scheduled for August 12-13, and a list of participating states announced once the accession procedures are completed.
In remarks carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Admiral Al Shehri said the coalition was launched to "enhance maritime security and protect the global economy and shared maritime interests" around the Red Sea.
He said a 43-country meeting at the coalition's founding meeting reflected a widespread belief that securing international waterways is a shared responsibility.
Several countries formally joined the coalition at the conclusion of the meeting, while others were completing domestic procedures before officially acceding. The alliance remains open to additional members, he added.
The commander said locating the alliance's headquarters in Saudi Arabia underscored the kingdom's role in promoting regional and international security.
Admiral Al Shehri said that the coalition is "purely defensive" and is not directed against any country, organisation or alliance. He said it would operate in accordance with the UN Charter.
British government sources have confirmed that the UK has received a proposal to join the coalition, saying it is being “actively reviewed in consultation with international partners”.
A joint statement issued at the July 30 meeting identified the Bab Al Mandeb strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – key trade routes along the shores of Saudi Arabia and Yemen – as the focus of coalition's operations.
The Bab Al Mandeb strait, linking the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is a major route for global trade and energy shipments. Since 2023, the Houthis have disrupted maritime traffic by attacking ships in what they said was solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.
Those attacks led to the creation of two naval operations to protect shipping and deter Houthi attacks – the European Union's Operation Aspides and the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian.
European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper told The National that the EU mission remains active in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but declined to comment on whether it had any role in the Saudi-led coalition.
Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy commander, told The National the broad coalition proposed by Saudi Arabia could avoid the prior confusion of different operations run by the US and the EU in the Red Sea.
“Having so many different operations in roughly the same area of naval movements … was tactical stupidity driven by the political desire to be shown to be separate,” he said.
The different operations were “operationally suboptimal” because task groups were working with different intelligence, he said. In one incident, the German navy mistakenly fired at a US Reaper drone. “Therefore, a single coalition of maritime forces would be much more sensible.”
The Saudi Defence Ministry said the kingdom's maritime coalition is an open international alliance that welcomes countries sharing its objectives and principles. Its mission is to enhance maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, secure maritime corridors and strategic straits, and support international trade and humanitarian supply chains in accordance with international law.
The Red Sea has gained extra significance during the Iran war as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports. That lifeline has come under threat due to attacks by the Houthis, who announced their blockade of Saudi shipping last week.
On Wednesday, the Houthis said they had launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea near the Saudi port city of Yanbu and another missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
There was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia on either incident.
Sunniva Rose contributed to this report from Paris.
