HMS Diamond to return home after tackling arms trade into Libya

A PORTSMOUTH warship is set to return home after countering the illegal arms trade in Libya.

By The Newsroom

Published 26th Oct 2016, 05:55 BST

Updated 26th Oct 2016, 16:21 BST

A sailor from HMS Diamond observes the American USNS Big Horn replenishment ship in the Mediterranean

HMS Diamond spent two months in the central Mediterranean Sea conducting surveillance and boarding suspicious merchant vessels.

The Type 45 destroyer was the first ship to board a vessel in support of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Commanding officer Marcus Hember said: ‘It is important that we not only contribute to the efforts to help the people of Libya, but that we also try to address the root causes of these problems.

‘We have certainly contributed to that effort in our time here, dramatically improving our understanding of maritime activity in the region.’

Portsmouth