A German warship ended its mission to protect merchant shipping from Houthi militants in Yemen and left the Red Sea early Saturday morning.
The frigate was part of the EU’s defensive naval mission Aspides and was deployed in the Red Sea in February to protect merchant ships from attacks by militants in Yemen, who are protesting the war in Gaza.
The Red Sea is home to the main sea route from Asia to Europe, which passes through the Suez Canal.
Houthi militants, allied with Iran, want to end the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The frigate, carrying a crew of 240, completed the mission at 5:50 a.m. (0350 GMT) and left the operating area, the Bundeswehr said.
The Hessen’s crew repeatedly shot down drones launched by the militants in the German Navy’s first mission of its kind.
The ship was deployed on February 23 after a series of attacks on merchant ships. Major shipping companies began avoiding the Red Sea, part of the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe, impacting the global economy.
The German Defense Ministry said the ship safely escorted 27 merchant ships through the area of ​​operations.
In four cases, Houthi drones and missiles were successfully countered, the ministry said.
In total, the frigate covered more than 11,000 kilometers in the operational area.
The crew provided medical first aid twice, to a soldier from a partner country and to a crew member of a merchant ship.
The 143-meter frigate is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and is designed for escort and maritime surveillance, with a radar that the Bundeswehr says can monitor airspace as large as the North Sea.
The weapon systems, also known as an air defense frigate, are capable of attacking targets at a distance of up to 160 kilometers.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called it the most dangerous naval operation in decades during a visit to the frigate days before the mission began.
