The SAAF Forum

Escalating Red Sea risks divert German Navy Task Group to South Africa

Dean Wingrin

The German Navy’s (Deutsche Marine) Task Group 500.01, comprising the frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg (F222) and the replenishment vessel Frankfurt am Main (A1412) made an unexpected but warmly welcomed arrival at the Port of Cape Town on Tuesday 12 November.

This last-minute docking underscores the impact of escalating security threats in the Red Sea, where recent attacks have made navigation perilous for commercial and military vessels alike. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants have launched over a hundred attacks on shipping off the Yemeni coast in the past 12 months, forcing many ships to avoid the Suez Canal and opt for the significantly longer route around Africa.

German Ambassador to South Africa, Andreas Peschke, said “the fact that you are here is actually also quite symbolic of our aspiration to work in partnership with this important country on the southern tip of Africa.”

He added that South Africa remains one of Germany’s most valued partners in Africa, with a history of security cooperation that dates back to 1994. This strong alliance has seen joint training exercises, such as the biennial maritime Exercise Good Hope, and a new leadership course soon to be held in Germany for South African officers. Additionally, a German participant recently won the all-round prize at the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF’s) Military Skills Competition in Potchefstroom.

Rear Admiral Helge Risch, Commander of Task Group 500.01, elaborated on the group’s mission and the challenges of navigating today’s high-risk maritime zones.

“The main mission is, of course, partnering and outreach to partners all around the world because we are all committed to a rule-based international order.”

The Admiral detailed the deployment’s journey: “The frigate Baden-Württemberg is under sail now for almost one year because she was deployed to the Mediterranean in United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, whilst Frankfurt am Main left its home port of Wilhelmshaven in early May. Both joined in the Atlantic, forming a very small task group.”

The Task Group crossed the Atlantic with stops in Canada and the United States before navigating through the Panama Canal to San Diego, then to Hawaii where the German vessels participated in the 29 nation Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024.

From there the fleet deployed to the Indo-Pacific region. Their tour included visits to Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, where the Task Group collaborated with various naval counterparts to promote maritime security and mutual understanding.

Rear Admiral Risch praised South Africa’s swift accommodation of the unscheduled visit.

“I really thank our South African hosts,” he said. “This request came on short notice and they made it happen. That means a lot for us, so we feel welcome here in South Africa.”

Germany’s decision to avoid the Red Sea reflects strategic caution given the limitations of Task Group 500.01’s defensive capabilities. Despite the Baden-Württemberg class frigate’s 127 mm OTO Melara Vulcan main gun and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, its primary air defence relies on close-range RIM-116 RAM point-defence systems, two 27 mm MLG 27 cannons and several heavy machine guns. Similarly, Frankfurt am Main’s Type 702 Berlin-class lacks long-range defence systems, carrying only four 27 mm MLG 27 cannons and heavy machine guns for close protection.

Thus, the Task Group cannot defend against cruise missile and drone threats at any distance beyond the roughly nine km (5.6 mile) range of the RIM-116 RAM.

A German Ministry of Defence spokesperson noted that Baden-Württemberg, though formidable in conflict prevention and stabilization operations, “is not able to provide an air defence umbrella for extended self-defence against air-breathing threats and to efficiently protect the supply vessel which is in company.”

This limitation, combined with the recent surge in Houthi missile and drone attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea, led German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to mandate the longer route around Africa for Task Group 500.01. As a result, Cape Town was chosen for maintenance, refuelling and rest, with South African authorities expediting clearance processes, which typically take up to eight weeks, to a mere two and a half weeks.

The German Task Group is scheduled to depart Cape Town on Friday, 15 November (maintenance dependant), heading for Rota, Spain, where FGS Baden-Württemberg will continue on to the Mediterranean to rejoin the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission. Frankfurt am Main, meanwhile, will make its way back to Wilhelmshaven in Germany.