The Royal Navy ship HMS Tamar is visiting Darwin this week (with May 30) after successfully completing a first deployment to Indo-Asia Pacific as part of Britain’s permanent naval presence in the region. HMS Tamar briefly visits the Northern Territory for crew rotation, before continuing her permanent deployment in the region.

During their five-year deployment, HMS TAMAR and sister ship SPEY plan to work with allies and partners across the region and plan to visit countries ranging from Australia to Japan and Fiji to Singapore.

Since deploying in September 2021, Tamar and her sister ship Spey have traveled 25,000 nautical miles to Colombia, via the Panama Canal, transiting along the West Coast of the United States and into the region via Hawaii. Some of the highlights of Tamar’s operations include:

• In January, Tamar patrolled the East China Sea to monitor and control illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels prohibited by United Nations Security Council (UNSCR) resolutions. . This activity helped to ensure that demilitarization commitments are met in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and to ensure that rules-based international security is upheld.
• In February, Tamar participated in Exercise Bersama Shield with the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA) countries (UK, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia). This multinational exercise which took place in Singapore and Malaysia included a series of exercises that demonstrated the interoperability and cooperative response of the five nations and their commitment to security in the region.
• In March, Tamar joined the Royal Brunei Navy Warship KDB DARULEHSAW for a passing exercise off Brunei, underscoring continued relationship building in the region.

Highlights of HMS Spey’s operations include the following:

• In January, the ship came to the aid of the Tonga government following the Hunga-Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami, delivering humanitarian supplies and supporting communications infrastructure repairs.
• In February, Spey deployed a medical team to deliver Covid booster shots and dental care to residents of the Pitcairn Islands. The ship’s crew also traveled to Fiji and Papua New Guinea, conducting engagements with the military, government leaders and local communities.
• Spey has also worked with regional partners to carry out environmental and hydrographic studies as well as water sampling, contributing to climate change studies. One of the Royal Navy’s greenest ships, Spey has also carried out important marine biodiversity missions.
• It was an exciting time for the ship and crew as they forged new relationships, strengthened others, provided essential aid to countries in need and helped deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The ship has worked with a number of maritime forces in the region including; the United States Coast Guard, United States Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy, Republic of Fiji Navy, Royal Brunei Navy, and Indonesian Navy.

Alongside the Royal Navy, the British Army and Royal Air Force regularly conduct exercises and operations with partners and allies, underlining the UK’s joint commitment to security and stability in the world. ‘Indo-Asia-Pacific.

QUOTATION

Lieutenant Commander Matt Millyard, Tamar’s executive officer, said:

The 90m long patrol vessel plays a pivotal role in addressing shared security issues and building relationships; we are not an aircraft carrier, we are not a massive warship or a force of intimidation, we are here as a force for good and a force for peace.

Lieutenant Gareth Senior, Marine Engineering Officer of HMS SPEY, said:

This deployment allowed us to travel to incredible places, to interact with a multitude of new cultures. It has been a privilege to work alongside local communities, government organizations and military forces in the Pacific; we learned a lot from each other, and I look forward to developing these relationships and working with our close partners again in the near future.

The British High Commissioner to Australia, Vicki Treadell, said:

We are delighted to welcome Tamar to Australian shores this week, and the opportunity for the crew to take some well deserved rest after a truly massive deployment in the region. The visit of HMS Tamar to Darwin and the deployment of HMS Spey to the region underscores our continued naval presence in the Indo-Pacific and demonstrates the UK’s continued commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which sovereign states of all sizes are free. of coercion.

SUMMARY

HMS Tamar is permanently deployed in the Indo-Pacific region alongside her sister ship HMS Spey. Working alongside partners and allies, the ship helps address security challenges and support nations against the impacts of climate change.