The coalition, which includes Bahrain, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, and Yemen, aims to strengthen collective maritime defence cooperation. Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Shehri has been appointed as its commander. The announcement follows repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi-flagged ships in the region amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.