German Navy Prepares for Potential Mine-Clearing Mission in Strait of Hormuz

The German military, or Bundeswehr, is preparing for a possible mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The German Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that the minesweeper Fulda and the tender ship Mosel, previously deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, had already passed through the Suez Canal early that morning. The ships are now expected to traverse the Red Sea in five to seven days and then call at the port of Djibouti. Further preparations for the mission will take place there. A total of about 140 soldiers are on board.

The German units are being "pre-positioned for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday in Brussels. But the emphasis is on "possible," as many questions remain, despite the agreement now signed between the US and Iran. The Defense Ministry said that essential conditions include "a lasting end to hostilities, a basis in international law, and a mandate from the Bundestag." The German parliament, the Bundestag, must approve any armed overseas deployment.

As it happens, sea mine clearance is one of the Bundeswehr's strengths. "We do have a lot of practice because as you probably know, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are the two sea spaces in the world with the most remains of unexploded devices from two world wars," Johannes Peters, an expert on maritime security at the Institute for Security Policy at the University of Kiel, told DW.

There are, he said, millions of objects in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, including mines, ammunition and other kinds of explosives, which have been lying there for the last 70 years, or even longer.

The Strait of Hormuz as a strategic point

After the Iran war began in late February, the Iranian military effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz and reportedly began laying sea mines. The blockade had a massive impact on the global transport of oil and liquefied natural gas, leading to a sharp rise in fuel prices across the world.

For the strait to once again become a safe maritime trade route, hostilities must cease permanently and the mines must be cleared. But this is a complicated undertaking. "Sea mines are extremely difficult to detect," said Nitya Labh, an expert on maritime security at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

"There are different types, the ones that can flow at the surface of the water, ones that can be anchored to the floor, but float in the middle and detonate whenever they sense or detect a ship nearby. And then there are ones that can be placed on the seafloor."

That means that even if the mines are located, it could take weeks or months to clear them.

Sea mines: Quick to lay, difficult to clear

"We don't know the exact amount of mines, and we don't know that certain area where mines may be laid," said Peters. "So there are a lot of uncertainties currently." While sea mines can be laid quickly, clearing them is tortuous. "But that's exactly what the vessel is actually intended for," he added.

The German navy's minesweepers are designed to detect sea mines without being detected by them. Many mines react to the magnetic field generated by steel, but minesweepers have a hull made of non-magnetic steel. Minesweepers can also operate at very low speeds in stealth mode, so that the ship propellers or engines don't trigger a detonation.

Unmanned systems carried by minesweepers are indispensable for clearance operations. The "Seehund" surface drones simulate the acoustic and magnetic signatures of large ships, to deliberately detonate mines, while underwater drones like the "Seefuchs" can identify and destroy mines underwater. When that technology fails, mine divers are deployed.

But a crucial prerequisite for a mine-clearing mission is that neighboring countries — in this case Iran and countries like Oman — must give their consent.

According to French President Emmanuel Macron, about 20 countries have already pledged concrete contributions to the mission. "It's really important that Germany, France, the UK, if they participate, they have to be clear that they are not parties to the conflict, that they're not taking the side of the US or Iran. They have to be neutral," said Labh.

She also believes that the participation of the navies of Gulf states such as Oman or Saudi Arabia in the mission would also be desirable.

Actual negotiations have yet to begin

Whether a naval mission will take place therefore also depends on how the initial memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US is implemented. That deal merely serves as a starting point for negotiations on contentious issues, particularly Iran's nuclear program, and these negotiations are intended to lead to a final agreement within 60 days.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz tempered expectations for a quick start to the Bundeswehr mission, saying that the Bundestag would not be able to address the mission until the parliament's last week before the summer recess, which begins on July 6.

Nevertheless, the Navy is already positioning itself. "We are ready in any case. When the time comes, we'll be ready," emphasized Pistorius. Should a deployment occur, the ships could be moved to the Strait of Hormuz quickly. Until then, the German ships are participating in the EU naval mission ASPIDES, which monitors the sea lanes in the Red Sea.

This article has been translated from German.