Elizabethho Will Not Enter Busan Port

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The UK's latest aircraft carrier, the Queen Elizabeth (65,000-ton class), has made the final decision not to enter Busan Port.

On the 25th, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "After discussions with the UK Ministry of Defense and considering the COVID-19 situation, it was decided not to enter Busan Port. However, joint naval exercises between the two countries will proceed as planned in the East Sea from the 30th to the 1st of next month."

The reason the Queen Elizabeth will not enter Busan Port is due to confirmed COVID-19 cases on the carrier. Although the approximately 3,700 crew members of the British carrier have completed COVID-19 vaccinations, multiple breakthrough infections have recently been reported.

The Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group, which the UK dispatched to the Indo-Pacific region at the end of May, consists of eight vessels: two destroyers, two frigates, two support ships, and one submarine. Additionally, one ship each from the United States and the Netherlands are escorting the group. If the British carrier enters Korean territorial waters, two carriers will be operating near the Korean Peninsula alongside the US nuclear-powered carrier USS Carl Vinson (100,000-ton class), currently located in the southern waters of Japan.

The carrier is equipped with eight British Royal Navy stealth fighters F-35B and ten US Navy F-35Bs. On the 11th, the nuclear-powered submarine 'Artful,' part of the Queen Elizabeth strike group, docked in advance at the Busan Naval Operations Command port. Artful loaded military supplies and inspected equipment there. Submarines belonging to the carrier strike group either escort the carrier during navigation or operate in advance for pre-inspection.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.