Belgium takes the lead of the EMASOH mission in the Strait of Hormuz – Belgium
(Belga) On Tuesday, Belgium took command of the European Maritime Surveillance Mission in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) for a period of four months, with a team of eight soldiers led by Fleet Admiral Tanguy Botman, announced the Ministry of Defense.
This mission, operational since the end of February 2020, aims to secure maritime traffic in the region and thus guarantee free trade and the economy. The Strait of Hormuz sits across the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and has been an important hub of maritime trade for centuries. More than a third of petroleum products transported by sea pass through this strait. The stability of this geopolitical and economic bottleneck is therefore of great importance for the whole of Europe, and has a direct impact on our oil and gas prices, explained La Défense on its website. Since 2019, tensions in the region have increased and incidents occur regularly, jeopardizing free trade. This is why the EMASOH mission (in English “European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz”) was created in 2020. Ten European countries, including Belgium, ensure the safety of navigation in the region from a HQ established in a French naval base in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and deploy ships, patrol planes and drones. Belgium has been part of the mission from the start – in particular by having assigned the frigate Léopold I to it last April during a deployment in the Persian Gulf -, but this is the first time that it has taken command, in the person of Flotilla Admiral Botman. (Belgian)
This mission, operational since the end of February 2020, aims to secure maritime traffic in the region and thus guarantee free trade and the economy. The Strait of Hormuz sits across the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and has been an important hub of maritime trade for centuries. More than a third of petroleum products transported by sea pass through this strait. The stability of this geopolitical and economic bottleneck is therefore of great importance for the whole of Europe, and has a direct impact on our oil and gas prices, explained La Défense on its website. Since 2019, tensions in the region have increased and incidents occur regularly, jeopardizing free trade. This is why the EMASOH mission (in English “European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz”) was created in 2020. Ten European countries, including Belgium, ensure the safety of navigation in the region from a HQ established in a French naval base in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and deploy ships, patrol planes and drones. Belgium has been part of the mission from the start – in particular by having assigned the frigate Léopold I to it last April during a deployment in the Persian Gulf -, but this is the first time that it has taken command, in the person of Flotilla Admiral Botman. (Belgian)