Royal Navy: Portsmouth warship HMS Trent continues Africa mission to protect vital trade routes worth millions

The Portsmouth-based warship HMS Trent is currently on deployment and has visited four nations this month. Her Interlock 2023 mission has taken her to The Gambia, the Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone and most recently Nigeria.

Sailors have been learning about the capabilities of other naval forces and coastguards and the challenges they face. Maritime security expertise have been shared by both groups to understand regional security and stability in order to protect the vital trade routes used by UK vessels.

Roughly £6bn of UK trade passes through shipping lanes in the West Africa region every year. HMS Trent will be monitoring the area for the rest of 2023, using Gibraltar as her base.

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Her sailors and Royal Marines have conducted conducted joint board-and-search training with local security forces both ashore and on the water – as well as sharing damage control, medical and engineering skills their hosts. Military personnel also fixed and installed equipment where necessary.

HMS Trent’s Medical Officer, Surgeon Lieutenant Zara Dyar, said: “The medical team thoroughly enjoyed working with the Gambian Navy to share understanding of first aid and practical aspects of medical care onboard warships.”

Royal Marines carried out high vertical assault and close-quarters drills, using sea boats to assault the patrol ship’s wings. These tactics, shared with local forces, regularly paid dividends in the Caribbean and Arabian Sea.

Lieutenant Max Tanner Royal Marines, in charge of HMS Trent’s commando detachment, said: “This was a really useful exercise which allowed my boarding specialist team to operate and exchange working practices and operating procedures with the Cape Verde force.

"The Cape Verde team were engaging and we built strong relationships with them which we hope to capitalise on moving forward.” In Mindelo, Cape Verde, sailors paid their respects at the civic cemetery, the last resting place for nine Commonwealth Servicemen and merchant sailors from both world wars.

Frequent capability demonstrations for dignitaries and military leaders were also carried out, with the command team also discussing regional security issues with their host nation counterparts. The Portsmouth ship is the first to visit Sierra Leone since 2015.

Previously, RFA Argus spent six months in the country, where crew helped curb the spread of Ebola throughout the nation. Aside from military and diplomatic activities, the ship’s company also visited the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

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Petty Officer Hayley Shakeshaft, responsible for HMS Trent’s communications systems, said: “What a great day out. It was amazing to see what the volunteers do to help the Chimpanzees, and the scenery was amazing.”

A military band greeted the ship’s company when they visited Lagos, Nigeria. During the five-day visit, Nigeria’s leading female tech advocates were invited on board.

Commanding Officer Commander Langford shared his experiences of leadership and said that dealing with people reaps dividends during a lunch and tour of the 2,000-tonne patrol ship.

HMS Trent’s interlock deployment will continue with the crew visiting nations in the Gulf of Guinea.