The Times: Ukrainian Minesweepers Could Be Deployed to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Four Ukrainian minesweepers currently stationed in Portsmouth may join a joint UK–French mission to restore safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Times reported on this, citing a source in Ukraine’s defense sector.

According to the report, Ukrainian naval officers are set to attend a multinational military planning summit at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) in London.

Journalists report that during the meeting, the Ukrainian side is expected to declare its readiness to deploy its ships to the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities between the United States and Iran have ended.

In addition to the ships, Ukraine is also considering supporting its allies in other ways, including sending maritime drones and providing counter-drone equipment to help protect shipping from potential Iranian attacks.

“We are ready to offer everything. There are four mine countermeasure vessels in Portsmouth. They cannot be sent to Ukraine because, first, they would be the number one target, and second, due to the Montreux Convention,” the source told the newspaper.

Currently, the Ukrainian Navy’s surface group in the United Kingdom consists of four minesweepers of two different classes: two British-built Sandown-class vessels – Chernihiv and Cherkasy, and two Alkmaar (Tripartite)-class minesweepers – Mariupol and Melitopol, which were received from Belgium and the Netherlands.

Another Alkmaar-class mine countermeasures vessel will be transferred to Ukraine by the Netherlands in June 2026 and will be named Henichesk.

Recently, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine could join international initiatives to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to him, this could involve both expert support and potential participation in practical operations, including the use of maritime surface drones to escort convoys.

Strait of Hormuz

Iran started blocking the Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel. It is one of the most important maritime transport arteries in the world. The Strait connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates export oil through this route. At the end of March, Ukraine offered assistance in unblocking this important international shipping route.