Saudi-led maritime alliance unveiled
Saudi Arabia on Thursday unveiled plans for a multinational maritime defence coalition, backed by 14 countries including Bangladesh, to protect international shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea region.
The initiatives came following attacks by Yemen’s Iran aligned Houthi movement that have disrupted one of the world’s busiest trade corridors.
The coalition was announced amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and the continuing conflict involving Iran and the United States, with growing concerns over the security of global maritime trade.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence, representatives from 43 countries and the European Union attended an international meeting where the proposed
coalition was discussed.
Saudi Arabia will serve as the founding and leading state and will host the coalition’s headquarters.
The 14 countries supporting the initiative are Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Comoros.
The ministry said the coalition is intended to strengthen maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, secure international trade routes and energy supply lines, and protect shared maritime interests in the Bab el Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
A joint statement issued by the 14 countries endorsed the proposed coalition.
However, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, two members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, were not among the signatories.
The announcement came a day after Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions, that Saudi Arabia was working to establish an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks.
The Houthis announced on July 20 that they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea and have since claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Saudi linked vessels.
In response, Saudi Arabia has carried out air strikes on what it described as Houthi military facilities in Yemen’s Hodeidah, saying the sites were being used to threaten commercial shipping.
The Red Sea has become another flashpoint in the broader regional conflict involving Iran, with attacks on merchant vessels extending beyond the Gulf and contributing to higher global oil prices.
The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, carrying a significant share of global trade and energy shipments.
The European Union launched a naval mission in the Red Sea in 2024 to help restore and safeguard freedom of navigation after Houthi attacks disrupted commercial maritime traffic during the Gaza war.
