UK warship departs Nigeria, continues antipiracy exercise in Gulf of Guinea

Two weeks after berthing on Nigerian waters to collaborate with the Nigerian Navy on antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea region, HMS Trent – the Royal Navy warship has departed from Nigeria to continue its exercise in the region.

According to a statement from the office of the British Deputy High Commission, HMS Trent and her contingent from 42 Commando have continued to train the Nigerian Navy (NN) in the Gulf of Guinea, alongside other African partners.

During the ship’s visit in Nigeria, the statement said the Royal Marines Boarding Team trained closely with the Nigerian Navy on all aspects of Vessel Boarding, Search and Seizure, and firefighting demonstrations conducted by her Ship’s Company.

This culminated in a 24 hour exercise involving five Nigerian Navy patrol vessels, putting lessons learnt into practice.

Thomas Knott, commanding officer of HMS Trent said the warship was able to engage with the local community and the Nigerian Military during the visit to Lagos.

Read also: Competence-based education way forward for Nigeria- Nwachukwu

“We sailed to conduct combined Maritime Security Operations with the Nigerian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea and to also exercise piracy interdiction operations. On behalf of my crew, I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the generous hospitality we received in Nigeria, we cannot wait to return in 2022,” he said.

Alongside the training events, HMS Trent hosted a senior leadership forum with Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu and Air vice Marshall Charles Ohwo representing all three of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

HMS Trent also had the pleasure of supporting a reception in aid of Nigerian wildlife and the fight against climate change ahead of COP26.

Ben Llewellyn-Jones, UK’s Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, said the Commission was pleased to see the scale of cooperation and engagement between the UK’s Royal Navy from 42 Commando and the Nigerian Navy.

“This reiterates the UK’s role as a force for good in the world, collaborating with Nigerian armed forces to deal with illegal activities – maritime security, piracy, and illegal wildlife trade – at sea in the Gulf of Guinea,” Llewellyn-Jones said.

The statement from the commission however said that since leaving Lagos, HMS Trent has continued counter-piracy training with the Nigerian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea, as part of Exercise Grand Africa Nemo (EX GANo).

EX GANo gathered 10 allied nations with the aim of developing 19 of their African counterparts in all areas of maritime security. The Royal Navy has also worked with the Togolese National Navy and Benin Navy in Search and Rescue and counter narcotics operations.

Following the exercise, HMS Trent will carry on her three-month deployment with a port visit in Ghana where her Ship’s Company will continue to develop the Ghanaian peacekeeping capabilities while also supporting their effective response to national security concerns.

Later in November, TRENT will be alongside in Senegal to help promote the UK’s position as co-president at the G7++ Friends of Gulf of Guinea conference.

The Nigerian ships involved in the exercise were NNS Prosperity, NNS Aba, NNS Ekulu, NNS Osun & NNS Ose. They were supported by two Deep Blue Project ships, DB Abuja & DB Lagos.