20 Dec 2023 --- US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has announced the launch of an international naval coalition to counter the Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. The uncertainty is causing the world’s largest cargo companies to avoid transporting goods through waterways leading to the Suez Canal, by which at least 15% of global goods are transported annually. The UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the US in conducting joint naval patrols and providing intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
