Romania joins IMSC

International Maritime Security Coalition (IMSC) in the Middle East

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) announced on 26 March that Romania has joined a multinational maritime coalition. The IMSC was established in 2019 to prevent attacks on merchant ships in the Middle East. The IMSC is headquartered in Bahrain with the US 5th Fleet. So far, eight nations are partners. After Estonia at the end of 2020, NATO country Romania has now also joined. The Romanian navy personnel will initially be deployed to the IMSC headquarters.

The IMSC was established in July 2019 in response to the increasing threat to freedom of navigation for merchant vessels in the Middle East. The Coalition Task Force Sentinel was established as an operational arm four months later to interdict hostile activity and secure merchant shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz. The source did not literally name Iran. Other members include Albania, Bahrain, Estonia, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.