A Royal Navy-led ‘999 emergency centre’ has dealt with an ‘unprecedented’ rise in distress calls due to the Red Sea crisis, say the Royal Navy here.

The team at the UK Maritime Trade Organisation, based on Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth, are dealing with two or three reports of attacks and incidents daily – compared with monthly – as a result of the wave of attacks on shipping in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.

“For the first time the UKMTO opened the doors of its headquarters to shed light on the efforts of its small team – just 18 strong – to help terrified or distressed sailors, guide other vessels to help out (or avoid the area) and work with international shipping companies to keep trade flowing. The 24/7/365 operations room acts as the ‘999 call centre’ for shipping of any nationality in the Gulf, Red Sea and central/northern Indian Ocean.

The UKMTO’s operators – no more than five personnel at any one time – monitor thousands of ships moving across an area ten times the size of the North Sea, as well as a similar size of the Atlantic Ocean focused on the Gulf of Guinea which has suffered piracy and criminal activity, though not to the same extent.”

They’ve seen a 475 per cent increase in incidents reported by seafarers in the Middle East since attacks began in the autumn, with over 2,500 emails coming into the HQ daily.

You can read more on this here.

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Martin
Martin
7 months ago

How many Arab or Chinese war ships are there helping out? or it up to the west mainly the UK/USA and few others to hold the line as always while every one else does nothing, risks nothing.
Always the same countries putting up the forces, sad and shame full.

Andy reeves
Andy reeves
7 months ago
Reply to  Martin

They’re all happy to take foreign aid from us and the ones that can do it should be told that they are expected to help with the issue

Martin
Martin
7 months ago
Reply to  Andy reeves

Not going to happen are we the mugs for protecting ships or should only protect those that come countries that help out? risk ours ships the cost of missiles so others can get a few pass, sounds normal these days. Saying that not many navies that can do much but the offer to help would nice,

Jim
Jim
7 months ago
Reply to  Andy reeves

What Arab countries are we giving foreign aid to that your expecting to send warships to the Red Sea?

Jim
Jim
7 months ago
Reply to  Martin

China has 3 in the Red Sea. They thought they had an agreement with the Houthis but then they fired 5 missiles at a Chinese tanker. The PLAN does not know what to do now so they are keeping a low profile.

Also worth noting only a handful of countries have assets that are much use in the Red Sea when facing ballistic missiles. Later version of AEGIS and Aster 30 systems are probably about it.

lordtemplar
lordtemplar
7 months ago
Reply to  Jim

and India also has several ships in the area

D.Roberts
D.Roberts
7 months ago
Reply to  lordtemplar

Their sf have been very successful

Martin
Martin
7 months ago
Reply to  Jim

Thats it only a few countries can counter the missiles etc but it always the same old faces doing the heavy lifting

Andy reeves
Andy reeves
7 months ago

No surprise at all at this report

Supportive Bloke
Supportive Bloke
7 months ago

But OT but today’s Torygraph contains an interesting quote.

We were all wondering what Ukraine was using to shoot down the Russian AEW/EW

“ Mr Lecornu added that France was also preparing to release a new batch of Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles for the SAMP/T system provided to Kyiv.

The Aster 30 can intercept warplanes, drones and cruise missiles within a range of 120 km.”

120km is quite conservative I think.

Frank62
Frank62
7 months ago

Excellent work UKMTO.

We probably hear only of NATO warships in the Red sea simply becuase that’s our own media’s bias. Do you really think Egypt & Saudi Arabia has no warships in their own waters?

Martin
Martin
7 months ago
Reply to  Frank62

Is the red sea our own waters? seems Egypt and Saudi Arabia limit them selves to close to home only,

D.Roberts
D.Roberts
7 months ago
Reply to  Martin

Yes I wonder what the response would have been, had the rubymar been sunk in the channel.

TonyB
TonyB
7 months ago

Navy Lookout has a good in-depth article on the UKMTO. Well worth reading.

Mark Kennett
Mark Kennett
7 months ago

Good to know the UKMTO are there.

Keep up the good work.