Around 50 French ships are currently blocked in the Persian Gulf and another eight in the Red Sea, France’s Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot says according to Reuters, as Paris seeks support to build a coalition of countries to secure shipping traffic in the region.

“There are around fifty ships — 52 to be precise — in the Persian Gulf and eight in the Red Sea, and we are also in permanent contact with the crews, as there are French sailors aboard a number of these vessels,” Tabarot told French broadcaster CNews/Europe 1.