Royal Navy minehunter crews mark 15 years of keeping the Gulf safe from underwater explosives

Thousands of Royal Navy sailors have spent months on end in the searing temperatures of the Middle East.

Working under the umbrella of ‘Op Kipion’, they’ve provided a continuous presence in the region, keeping vital shipping lanes in the Gulf open.

So critical is the seafaring trade route that even the slightest disruption could cost £6bn every day to the global economy.

To thank minehunter crews and their supporting staff, Gulf veterans were invited aboard HMS Victory in Portsmouth where fleet commander Vice Admiral Andrew Burns marked the 15-year mission.

And those deployed in the Gulf gathered before the Royal Navy’s senior commander in the Middle East, Commodore Adrian Fryer, the UK maritime component commander, to receive his thanks for their often unsung efforts.

‘The continuous presence of Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels in Bahrain is a real representation of the UK’s enduring commitment to stability in the region, which includes some of the most important maritime trade routes in the world,’ he said.

British ships in the region have surveyed an area more than five times the size of Greater London – more than 3,500 square miles – to both remove any mine threat along key shipping routes and provide a clear understanding of key Gulf waters, making it easier to spot any changes in the future.

The mission, originally called Operation Aintree, began with two minehunters dispatched to Bahrain to help deal with the aftermath of a quarter of a century of conflict and tension in the region and ensure key routes were mine-free.

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The force was subsequently doubled in size and, since 2018, has enjoyed a permanent new home in the form of the UK Naval Support Facility Bahrain.

In all, the Bahrain minehunters have completed 617 missions and their crews have collectively spent 2,800 months deployed to the Gulf.

Among the hunters’ first and most important missions was opening up the waterway to Iraq’s key port of Umm Qasr at the head of the Gulf in 2008.

The Khawr abd Allah was heavily mined in both Gulf conflicts. Over six weeks a British and American force located and classified 2,000 underwater contacts over an area spanning the size of the Isle of Wight.

Lieutenant Commander Neil Skinner was involved in that effort aboard HMS Blyth - and is back in Bahrain 14 years later in command of Portsmouth-based ship, HMS Middleton.

‘To have found myself entering an Iraqi waterway and undertaking live Operations so soon in my career was an exciting experience, and something that was shared by the entire crew,’ he said.

Petty Officer (Mine Warfare) Luke Brady from HMS Middleton is among the sailors who’ve served in the Gulf on multiple occasions:

‘It is great that we are able to celebrate a full 15 years of continuous mine warfare presence in the region,’ he said. ‘Kipion deployments have formed a major backbone of my career and personal development over many years.’

Commander Daniel Morris, the current commander of the mine warfare force in the Gulf, added: ‘Fifteen years of unbroken tasking is a monumental achievement and I am hugely grateful for the hard work and support.’