German frigate ends its mission against Yemen in Red Sea

BERLIN, April 20 (YPA) – The German frigate “Hessen” completed its mission in the Red Sea after participating in protecting Israeli and American ships from attacks by the Yemeni armed forces and left the Red Sea early Saturday morning.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius thanked the captain and crew of the warship. The German Ministry of Defense said in a statement, “The crew of the Hessen frigate carried out its mission within the framework of the European Union Operation Aspids with courage.”

The frigate was part of the European Union’s maritime mission to confront the operations carried out by Yemen against ships linked to the Israeli occupation in support of the Palestinian people.

The German army said that the frigate, which had a crew of 240 on board, completed its mission at 5:50 a.m. (03:50 GMT) and left the area of operations. The ship is expected to return to the port of Wilhelmshaven at the beginning of next May.

The 143-meter-long frigate is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and is designed for maritime escort and surveillance, with a radar capable of monitoring airspace the size of the North Sea, according to the German military.

Hessen is also known as an air defense frigate, and its weapons systems are capable of engaging targets at a distance of up to 160 kilometers.

YPA