LONDON: As global energy markets reel from a supply shock caused by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a British warship is heading toward the region as part of a planned UK-France-led defensive effort to help secure one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
The UK said on May 9 that it was deploying HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer, to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational mission to protect shipping in the key waterway once conditions allow, according to a Reuters report.
The warship had been sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in March, shortly after the start of the Iran war, to help defend Cyprus. Its shift east follows France’s decision to move its Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea.
In a statement on May 12, Britain said it would contribute autonomous mine-hunting systems, counterdrone technology, Typhoon jets and HMS Dragon to a future mission aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the strait.
Britain's HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer, has been deployed to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational mission to protect shipping in the the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters)
