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The Royal Navy’s River Class vessel is visiting Darwin as part of its permanent deployment in the region.
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River Class patrol vessel HMS Tamar arrived in Darwin this week for crew rotation following its first deployment in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
The patrol boat is expected to continue its deployment following the brief visit, in support of the United Kingdom’s permanent naval presence in the region.
The five-year deployment of HMS Tamar and sister ship HMS Spey is set to involve work alongside international partners, with visits to Australia, Japan, Fiji and Singapore.
British High Commissioner to Australia Vicki Treadell welcomed HMS Tamar to Australia and HMS Spey’s support to regional stability.
“The visit of HMS Tamar in Darwin, and HMS Spey’s deployment in the region, underlines our permanent naval presence across the Indo-Pacific and speaks to the UK’s ongoing commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which sovereign states of all sizes are free from coercion,” Treadell said.
Since leaving their homeports in September 2021, the vessels have travelled 25,000 nautical miles.
HMS Tamar’s contributions have included:
- patrolling the East China Sea to conduct monitoring and surveillance against illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels prohibited by the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs);
- participating in Exercise Bersama Shield with the Five Powers Defence Arrangements (FPDA) nations (UK, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia); and
- joining the Royal Brunei Navy Warship KDB DARULEHSAW for a passage exercise off Brunei.
“The 90-metre-long patrol vessel has a pivotal role in tackling shared security challenges and developing relationships; we’re not a carrier, we’re not a massive warship or an intimidating force, we’re here as a force for good and a force for peace,” Lieutenant Commander Matt Millyard, HMS Tamar’s executive officer, said.
Meanwhile, HMS Spey’s contributions have included:
- coming to the aid of the Tongan government following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunami, delivering humanitarian supplies and supporting repair work to communications infrastructure;
- deploying a medical team to deliver COVID booster vaccinations and dental treatment to the people of the Pitcairn Islands;
- visiting Fiji and Papua New Guinea, carrying out engagements with the military, government leaders and local communities; and
- working with regional partners to carry out environmental and hydrographic surveys as well as water sampling, contributing to studies on climate change.
“This deployment has seen us travel to some amazing places, interacting with a whole host of new cultures,” Lieutenant Gareth Senior, HMS SPEY marine engineering officer, said.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside local communities, government organisations and military forces in the Pacific; we have learned a lot from each other, and I look forward to building on those relationships and working with our close partners again in the near future.”
[Related: RAN prepares for major international maritime exercise]
