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This commitment is in line with the city-state’s long-standing commitment to criteria and regulations that free up global trade.
The oil tanker “Hero Star” passing through the Straits of Tiran near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
Singapore will participate in the U.S.-led operation to restore the free flow of maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the country’s Defense Ministry announced yesterday.
In a statement, the ministry said Singapore’s armed forces would send personnel to take part in Operation Guardian of Prosperity, a multinational operation to counter recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on container ships.
“This is part of efforts to ensure freedom of navigation on this key global maritime line of communication,” he said.
Although Singapore is not deploying any ships for the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) carrying out the operation, it said it will provide personnel, adding a high-level national representative to the CMF; a Singapore Navy team “to help share data and reach out to the advertising community”; and a team of planners to help the coalition “formulate operational plans. “
The Red Sea, which stretches between the Suez Canal in the north and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the south, is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and offers access to the shortest sea direction between Europe and Asia. Since Nov. 19, attacks on advertising vessels have been positioned in areas of the Red Sea near Yemen via Houthi rebels, who say they are responding to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza by attacking Israeli-linked ships or heading to Israeli ports.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that as of Jan. 7, Houthi militants had carried out 20 attacks, including attempted hijackings and missile and drone fires, against attack ships in the Red Sea. Among them is the Maersk, flagged by Singapore. Hangzhou.
According to Channel News Asia, “about 12% of the world’s industry passes through the Red Sea, accounting for 30% of container traffic and more than $1 trillion in goods annually. “
The attacks have prompted some of the world’s largest container shipping corporations to divert their ships to other routes, including the ancient voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, despite the lavish prices involved. On January 3, Singapore joined the United States. The United States and 12 other countries condemn the Houthi attacks and warn of unspecified consequences if they continue.
“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” said the statement released by the White House. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Ng downplayed the likely impact of the Red Sea disruptions on Singapore. “Based on the current situation, the immediate impact on Singapore is expected to be limited as the majority of our critical supplies, such as food and pharmaceuticals, are delivered via air freight or do not pass through the Red Sea,” he said.
However, the Houthis’ attacks on foreign shipping undermine foreign rules and regulations that allow for the flexible flow of global industry, to which Singapore has long been committed. As a small island state that depends on its industry and its monetary relations with the rest of the world, the Lion City has long been sensitive to any advancement of global industry. It was a similar line of reasoning that led Singapore to become an observer state in the Arctic Council in 2013.
While its contribution to Operation Guardian of Prosperity is limited, Singapore’s contribution to the U. S. -led operation is consistent with its principles of flexible and open foreign trade.
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Singapore will take part in the US-led operation to repair the lost ship in the Red Sea, the country’s defence ministry announced yesterday.
In a statement, the ministry said Singapore’s armed forces would send personnel to take part in Operation Guardian of Prosperity, a multinational operation to counter recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on container ships.
“This is part of efforts to ensure the freedom of navigation in this key global sea line of communication,” it said in the statement.
While Singapore is not deploying any vessels to the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) carrying out the operation, the statement said that it will contribute personnel, including a senior national representative to the CMF; a team from the Singaporean navy “to support info-sharing and engagement outreach with the commercial shipping community”; and a team of planners to help the coalition “formulate operational plans.”
The Red Sea, which stretches between the Suez Canal in the north and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the south, is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and offers access to the longest and shortest sea direction between Europe and Asia. Since Nov. 19, attacks on advertising ships have been positioned in Red Sea spaces near Yemen by Houthi rebels, who say they are responding to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza by attacking ships connected to Israel or heading toward Israeli ports.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that as of Jan. 7, Houthi militants had carried out 20 strikes, including attempted hijackings and missile and drone attacks, against attacking ships in the Red Sea. Among them is the Maersk Hangzhou, flying the flag of Singapore.
According to Channel News Asia, “about 12% of the world’s industry passes through the Red Sea, accounting for 30% of container traffic and more than $1 trillion in goods annually. “
The attacks have prompted some of the world’s largest container shipping corporations to divert their ships to other routes, including the ancient voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, despite the lavish prices involved. On January 3, Singapore joined the United States. The United States and 12 other countries condemn the Houthi attacks and warn of unspecified consequences if they continue.
“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” said the statement released by the White House. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”
Speaking in parliament yesterday, Ng downplayed the most likely impact of the Red Sea disturbances on Singapore. “Given the current situation, the immediate impact in Singapore is expected to be limited, as most of our needs are imperative. “Supplies, such as food and pharmaceuticals, are delivered by air transport or bypass the Red Sea,” he said.
However, the Houthis’ attacks on foreign shipping undermine foreign rules and regulations that allow for the flexible flow of global industry, to which Singapore has long been committed. As a small island state that depends on its industry and its monetary relations with the rest of the world, the Lion City has long been sensitive to any advancement of global industry. It was a similar line of reasoning that led Singapore to become an observer state in the Arctic Council in 2013.
While its contribution to Operation Guardian of Prosperity is limited, Singapore’s contribution to the U. S. -led operation is consistent with its principles of flexible and open foreign trade.
Singapore will take part in the US-led operation to repair the lost ship in the Red Sea, the country’s defence ministry announced yesterday.
In a statement, the Ministry said that the Singapore Armed Forces will send personnel to take part in Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational operation to counter the recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial container ships.
Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat.