SINGAPORE will participate in the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, contributing personnel but not naval assets to the effort, defence minister Ng Eng Hen said in response to questions on maritime security at a parliamentary sitting.

Ng said that the Singapore Armed Forces will deploy various personnel as part of its contribution in support of the efforts of Combined Maritime Forces Combined Task Force 153 and Operation Prosperity Guardian to keep the Red Sea open and safe and ensure the free flow of shipping through the area.

This will include a team of planners which will work with international partners to formulate operational plans, a team from the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre to support information-sharing and engagement outreach with the commercial shipping community, and a senior national representative to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain.

Singapore has been a member of the 39-nation CMF since 2009 and had previously deployed assets when it participated in the CTF 151 counter-piracy effort in the Gulf of Aden. It now joins about 20 other nations in Operation Prosperity Guardian, which falls under the umbrella of CTF 153.

As a major maritime nation and leading flag state, Singapore has a vested interest in ensuring safety of navigation in the Red Sea.

The Maersk Hangzhou (IMO: 9784300), which was struck by a Houthi missile on December 31, is Singapore-flagged.

Leading Singapore-based container line Pacific International Lines is active in the region and calls at various Red Sea ports. Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows that as of January 8 at least one PIL vessel continues to operate in the Red Sea, in contrast to the dearth of containerships in the area since the Houthi attacks began in December.