Greek frigate Psara participating in the EU “Aspides” operation protecting ship routes in the Red Sea shot down drones fired by Houthi rebels against a commercial vessel, according to the Greek Ministry of Defense.
This was the first engagement of the Psara frigate in the Red Sea, off Yemen, since it replaced Hydra recently.
According to the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) the frigate “Utilizing both its anti-drone system and its guns engaged four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Two drones were shot down, and the other two were forced to disperse.”
The incident happened days after the Psara frigate was visited in the port of Djibouti by Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell.
Dendias, speaking to the sailors expressed his appreciation for their dangerous mission (which involves escorting merchant marine ships against Houthi rebels attacks), and said among other things that “if the free passage of shipping is interrupted, the upheaval in markets, the increase of inflation, the loss of jobs, will deeply affect Greek society, will deeply affect European society.”
Launching the “Aspides” operation last year, which translates to “shields” or “protector” in Greek, the EU announced that it will contribute to maritime security along the main sea lanes in an area including the Straits of Bab el-Madab, the Straits of Hormuz, and the international waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf.
The strategic objective will be to escort ships in the area of operation, provide situational awareness, and protect ships from multi-dimensional attacks at sea “in full respect of international law, including the principles of necessity and proportionality” in a sub-area of the region of operations.
In recent months, the dangers for shipping in the Red Sea region have increased dramatically, as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have targeted commercial shipping with drone and missile attacks, as well as more brazen assaults by boat and helicopter.
The Greek frigate Psara is the third ship of the Greek Hydra-class frigates. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramangas as part of the program.