HMS Trent, a Royal Navy cruiser, landed in Lagos on Sunday to assist in the fight against unlawful activities such as piracy and illicit trafficking in the sub-region.
Trent’s travel to Nigeria is his second, according to the British High Commission.
“The visit will help deliver capacity training and support maritime security in the region,” the statement partly read.
HMS Trent sailed from Gibraltar with a skilled boarding squad of UK Royal Marines and a Puma surveillance drone. HMS Trent’s purpose is to assist West African friends in developing the capabilities to combat unlawful maritime crime and to guarantee that they can play an effective role in bringing stability to West Africa as a whole.
With roughly £6 billion of UK trade moving through the region, Trent’s mission includes supporting stability in the Gulf of Guinea by training partner navies to combat illicit actors, establishing ties and exchanging knowledge, and conducting patrols to boost security.
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.”
UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter said, “This deployment demonstrates how a truly Global Britain is stepping up on the world stage to tackle shared international security challenges.
“Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK in West Africa. Our two countries face many shared threats and we are keen to work with Nigeria to defeat these and to help improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.”
The deployment is part of a larger international effort by the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FOGG) to support Gulf of Guinea nations in implementing regional maritime security frameworks, bringing stability to a region where international shipping has been disrupted, seafarers’ lives have been jeopardized, and local economies have suffered.
