Royal Navy: Portsmouth warship HMS Trent reaches Africa to combat piracy and armed robbery in the continent

HMS Trent has sailed to the continent from Gibraltar with a team of Royal Marines and a surveillance drone. She is tasked with maintaining stability across the Gulf of Guinea to protect roughly £6bn worth of UK trade which passes through the area.

Sailors will also deliver training to help partner navies take the fight to criminals – helping them organise patrols to maintain a high security presence. HMS Trent’s deployment contributes to a wider international effort by the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FOGG), which supports Gulf of Guinea nations to implement regional maritime security frameworks.

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The region is susceptible to merchant shipping being disrupted – leaving seafarers’ lives at risk and local economies damaged. Specialist Royal Marines from 42 Commando can be deployed from the patrol vessel alongside the Puma surveillance drone, which can be launched from the warship to provide reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

Lieutenant Christopher Windsor, Puma Flight Commander from 700X Naval Air Squadron, said: “I am delighted to support HMS Trent’s upcoming deployment to West Africa with Puma. The opportunity to deploy Puma as an aviation asset on board Trent will benefit our deployment as well as shape future tasking across the patrol ship fleet. My team is looking forward to testing this capability.”

Lieutenant Commander Mike Rydiard, Executive Officer of HMS Trent, added: “The integration of a Royal Marines boarding team and the Puma remotely-piloted air system in Trent is a first, and demonstrates our flexibility. It is a testament to a lot of hard work by my team in Trent and organisations across the whole force that have supported us.

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“We are ready for maritime security operations and look forward to working with and supporting regional partners.” HMS Trent reached The Gambia this weekend.

Sailors from The Gambian navy received training in firefighting, damage control, and seamanship. British sailors also helped them maintain their newly purchased offshore patrol vessel.

HMS Trent will then sail to Cape Verde to test their ability to work with local law enforcement in counter-narcotics missions. Lieutenant Max Tanner, in command of the Royal Marines team, said: “My team and I are incredibly excited to be involved in HMS Trent’s deployment to West Africa.”