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 United Kingdom and France are set to co-host a multinational meeting on Tuesday aimed at turning diplomatic efforts over the Strait of Hormuz into a practical security…

More than 40 nations are involved in the mission, which the Ministry of Defence says will begin when conditions allow.