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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper pointed to new technologies as she hosted a 41-country summit on Thursday on restoring freedom of navigation to the Strait of Hormuz.
Eyes turn now to a meeting of military planners next Tuesday to come up with a scheme that would help restore confidence to the shipping industry in a post-conflict initiative. "We [will] marshal our collective defensive military capabilities, including looking at issues such as de-mining or reassurance once the conflict eases," Ms Cooper told the meeting at the outset.
Keeping shipping "safe for the long term” could entail issues such as clearing mines that have possibly been laid by Tehran to sink ships in the sea passage.
It is possible UK drone minesweepers that can track and identify undersea threats in the Gulf could be sent with a mother ship, such as RFA Lyme Bay, to the region.
The autonomous Royal Navy boat Harrier will replace manned mine countermeasure vessels, along with torpedo-like Iver4 underwater drones. The lightweight autonomous vehicle is designed for use in shallow coastal environments. The Iver4 can operate at depths of up to 100 metres to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors.
The captain of the Lyme Bay said it had recently undergone a refit. Mark Colley told Forces News the vessel was able to act as a mothership. "I know we are ready to support this autonomous uncrewed kit so as to play an important role in its use," he added.
The UK's Royal Navy believes that, by chartering civilian vessels to be used as the motherships for the drones, it will be well placed to help clear Iranian mines from the waterway. A fifth of the world’s oil exports, as well as natural gas and chemical products, passes through the strait.
In its latest defence update, the UK military would host a meeting on plans for "viable options to make the Strait of Hormuz accessible and safe for navigation".
The French military also said it would join the technical planning.
According to US intelligence officials, Iran has the intent to seed the strait, which is about 35km wide at its narrowest point, with several Maham 3 mines that detonate once their magnetic sensors pick up nearby ships. The Royal Navy has already commissioned a former civilian ship, HMS Stirling Castle, which is being prepared to carry anti-mine drones.
The navy is understood to be seeking bigger vessels with open deck space similar to the former Canadian icebreaker Polar Prince, which was used by mini-submarines, including the ill-fated Titan, to reach the Titanic wreck. Military chiefs could recommission three Bay-class landing ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to turn them into motherships for the drone minesweepers.
Like the US, Britain has withdrawn all its crewed minehunters from service. The last remaining ship, HMS Middleton, left the Gulf just days before the US and Israel attacks began.
If the war continues, it is likely that international navies will gather a force of warships and minehunters to offer protection for oil tankers and cargo vessels to transit the strait.
