French minesweepers heading for Arabian Gulf

The navy said it would be making the region safer for maritime traffic

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with a French Navy officer as he arrives at the French frigate Bretagne as part of his presentation of New Year wishes to the military forces in Brest, on January 19, 2021. / AFP / POOL / STEPHANE MAHE

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with a French Navy officer at a service in Brest, France this week. AFP

Jan 23, 2021

Two French minesweepers are heading to the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, the French navy confirmed on Friday.

"The two Tripartite (class) mine hunters - L'Aigle and Céphée - have been loaded on to a specialised chartered vessel to reach their future area of operation," the Navy tweeted with video of the loading.

Another tweet read: "They will soon be deployed in the Indian Ocean and in the Arab Gulf for a mine warfare mission in order to participate in the safety of maritime traffic in these areas of strategic interest."

Les chasseurs de mines tripartites (CMT) L’Aigle et Céphée ont été chargés à bord d’un navire affrété spécialisé pour rejoindre leur future zone d’opération ! pic.twitter.com/FvJnkaAzKa
— Marine nationale (@MarineNationale) January 22, 2021

The mission could be primarily an anti-terrorism or anti-piracy deployment.