The European Union Council has decided to extend the mandate of the EU maritime security operation in the Red Sea region to safeguard freedom of navigation until 28 February 2026.
The Council announced in a statement that it had prolonged the operation with a reference amount of over €17 million to cover the period, following a strategic review of the operation.
“Furthermore, the Council decided that, in order to ensure maritime situation awareness in the area of operation, Operation Aspides should be able to collect information, in addition to data necessary to protect vessels, on arms trafficking and on shadow fleets with a view to sharing this information with member states,” said the EU Council.
The information gathered would also be shared with the European Commission, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, and the International Maritime Organisation.
Eunavfor Aspides was established in February 2024 as a defensive maritime security operation with the objective of restoring and safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf.
The operation is active along the main sea lines of communication in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as international waters in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. It ensures an EU naval presence in the area where numerous Houthi attacks have targeted international commercial vessels since October 2023.
The operation is headquartered in Larissa, Greece, and headed by Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis.
