A Royal Navy warship, HMS Trent, arrived in Lagos on Sunday, September 10, to aid the fight against illegal activities including piracy and illicit trafficking in the sub-region.
The British High Commission disclosed that this was HMS Trent’s second visit to Nigeria.
It departed Gibraltar carrying an expert boarding team of UK Royal Marines and a Puma surveillance drone. HMS Trent’s mission is to support West African allies helping countries to develop capability to fight illegal crimes at sea and ensure they can play an effective role in bringing stability to wider West Africa.
It would also support stability across the Gulf of Guinea through training to help partner navies take the fight against criminal actors, fostering ties and sharing knowledge, whilst conducting patrols to increase security.
Commenting on the visit to Nigeria, HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford said;
“It is an honour for HMS TRENT to return to Nigeria, an important visit on the Ship’s three month deployment to West Africa. We are excited to work with our partner nations as we strive for a long term solution to maritime insecurity across the region.
“The Royal Navy has a long history of engagement within the region and an enduring partnership with the Armed Forces of Nigeria. My team are really looking forward to the opportunity to work with their Nigerian counterparts and build on the relationships established when we visited Lagos in 2021.”