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British Royal Navy vessel returns to Tongan waters [1]

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Friday, March 11, 2022 - 22:29

 
HMS SPEY arrived in Tongan waters on March 10-12
 
The Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) HMS SPEY has returned Tonga, this time to assist in patrolling Tonga’s Exclusive Economic Zone against illegal fishing.
 
HMS SPEY arrived in Tongan waters on March 10-12 is working closely with Tonga’s Ministry of Fisheries and His Majesty’s Armed Forces.

The vessel will conduct patrols in the waters around the islands to deter and defend against illegal fishing. 

Lucy Joyce, the British High Commissioner to Tonga, said the Royal Navy’s visit is an opportunity for the United Kingdom to support bilateral and regional co-operation on defense and security, particularly maritime security.

"The UK is helping to build resilience and capacity, tackle shared security challenges and uphold freedom of navigation and international law."

The vessel was previously in Tonga from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, delivering humanitarian supplies following the recent volcanic eruption and tsunamis. It also supported repair work to communications infrastructure on the outer islands.

On Jan. 26, the Batch 2 OPV delivered UK Aid stores, including 30,000 litres of bottled water, medical supplies for over 300 first aid kits, PPE, basic sanitation items and baby products.

Based in Portsmouth, the HMS Spey is on a five-year mission to the Indo-Pacific region alongside her sister ship HMS Tamar.

The mission so far has seen the ship visit Hawaii, Tahiti, Pitcairn, the Cook Islands and Niue.  

Meanwhile, the Indo-Asia Pacific is of growing importance for the UK’s security and prosperity, and the UK is committed to build strong partnerships with Pacific Island countries, said the High Commissioner.

Pacific Islands [2]
Tonga [3]
defence [4]
British Royal Naval vessel [5]
Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel [6]
HMS SPEY [7]
Disaster recovery [8]

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Source URL:https://matangitonga.to/2022/03/11/british-royal-navy-vessel-returns-tongan-waters

Links
[1] https://matangitonga.to/2022/03/11/british-royal-navy-vessel-returns-tongan-waters [2] https://matangitonga.to/tag/pacific-islands?page=1 [3] https://matangitonga.to/tag/tonga?page=1 [4] https://matangitonga.to/tag/defence?page=1 [5] https://matangitonga.to/tag/british-royal-naval-vessel?page=1 [6] https://matangitonga.to/tag/royal-navy-offshore-patrol-vessel?page=1 [7] https://matangitonga.to/tag/hms-spey?page=1 [8] https://matangitonga.to/topic/disaster-recovery?page=1