The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle passed through the Suez Canal on Wednesday, heading toward the Gulf region amid preparations for a potential multinational naval mission aimed at securing maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a statement from France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces the carrier and its accompanying vessels are en route to the southern Red Sea. The deployment is intended to accelerate readiness for the initiative “as soon as conditions allow,” the ministry said.
The planned mission, led jointly by United Kingdom and France, is designed to protect shipping lanes in the strategically vital strait, which has been effectively disrupted since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East on February 28.
The initiative was launched by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as tensions escalated across the region. Both governments have emphasized that the mission will be strictly defensive in nature and will only be deployed once a durable peace framework is in place.
French authorities also noted that more than 40 countries are involved in the planning phase, with military coordination efforts currently underway in London.
The ministry reiterated that the naval deployment remains separate from ongoing military operations in the region and is instead part of a broader security architecture.
Meantime, Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority held talks with Éric Chevallier to explore avenues of bilateral cooperation, in a meeting attended by French Defense Attaché Laurent Seguy.
The discussions took place at the Suez Canal Yacht Marina in Ismailia, on the sidelines of the transit of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle through the canal as part of the northbound convoy.
The visit coincided with the provision of crew-change services for the carrier, carried out at the marina facility, one of the Suez Canal’s key logistics hubs supporting maritime traffic.
Follow the latest news on Google News
