The German Navy's mine-hunting vessel Fulda departed from the Kiel-Wik naval base on Monday afternoon, heading toward the Mediterranean Sea as part of preparations for a potential deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, an AFP reporter confirmed. The ship, crewed by up to 45 soldiers, will be traveling for approximately two weeks before reaching its destination. Meanwhile, the Greens and the Left Party have voiced concerns about the potential mission.
The Fulda is being withdrawn from a NATO operation in the North and Baltic Seas and will initially be integrated into a NATO mine countermeasures group in the Mediterranean. A spokesperson for the German Federal Ministry of Defense explained that the Fulda is departing now "so that in the event of a case, when the framework conditions also mentioned by the Federal Chancellor are met, it can then participate in such a mission and already be in spatial proximity."
Any deployment to the Strait of Hormuz requires a mandate from the German Bundestag. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has also specified additional conditions for a German mission: an end to combat operations in Iran and "a secure legal basis," such as a UN resolution.
The Fulda is a mine-hunting vessel of the Frankenthal class. These ships specialize in detecting and neutralizing underwater threats. They employ cable-controlled underwater drones as well as surface drones that simulate ship engine noises and magnetic fields to detonate bottom mines. Additionally, mine divers from the naval battalion can render explosives harmless in hard-to-reach locations such as harbors or beaches.
SPD Deputy Parliamentary Leader Siemtje Möller called the advance positioning "an important signal." She said it shows "that Germany is capable of action and stands by its commitments." "We are ready to take responsibility when the conditions are right," Möller told AFP. These conditions include a sustainable ceasefire, an international mandate, and approval from the German Bundestag. "None of these conditions are currently in place."
Möller emphasized that it is now crucial "that all conflict parties return to the negotiating table and create the foundations for stability in the region."
Greens Deputy Parliamentary Leader Agnieszka Brugger told AFP that the federal government would need to "plan out and submit a corresponding mandate" in the event of a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz. Her parliamentary group will "then also examine this concretely, carefully, and critically, as in all other cases in the past." The Greens are taking the federal government at its word "that there is no predetermination here" despite the practical preparations.
Left Party Co-Leader Jan van Aken called the dispatch of the mine-hunting vessel "a major mistake." It would be far more sensible "to rely on diplomacy" rather than "sending a minesweeper to the Mediterranean," van Aken said. As long as there is no clear peace or ceasefire agreement, the German mine-hunting vessel will not be deployed.
However, if there is an agreement between the United States and Iran, "then there is nothing at all standing in the way of a UN Security Council mandate." Then negotiations can take place at the United Nations on the conditions under which the Strait of Hormuz will be kept open and "how the mines will be cleared."
The Iran conflict began on February 28 with airstrikes by the United States and Israel. In response, the Iranian military effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil transport normally flows.
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