The Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter has left the naval base at Den Helder (the Netherlands' principal military port) with around 200 crew aboard, heading ultimately for a five-month multinational exercise in Southeast Asia. En route, the vessel will contribute to EU Operation Aspides in the Red Sea, which aims to protect commercial shipping in the region, and may extend its stay near the Gulf if the conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel escalates. Dutch Defence Minister Yesilgöz, who saw the ship off, noted that the cabinet is also drawing up contingency plans for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz, though she cautioned that no deployment there is guaranteed.