A Royal Navy warship, HMS Trent, arrived in Lagos on Sunday to help combat illegal activities in the Gulf of Guinea, including piracy and illicit trafficking.
The warship is on a three-month deployment to West Africa and will be working with the Nigerian Navy to improve maritime security in the region. HMS Trent is carrying an expert boarding team of Royal Marines and a Puma surveillance drone.
“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.”
Fantastic to welcome @HMSTrent back to #Lagos as it begins engagements to support maritime security & tackle illegal activities at sea – conducting patrols & training with @NigerianNavy.
— Jonny Baxter (@JonnyBaxterFCDO) September 10, 2023
A more secure environment will support trade, investment & prosperity.
#GoFarGoTogether pic.twitter.com/lizVe7NvpL
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 contributes to a wider international effort by the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FOGG) which supports Gulf of Guinea nations to implement regional maritime security frameworks, bringing stability to a region that has seen international shipping disrupted, seafarers’ lives put in danger, and damage caused to local economies.
@HMSTrent pic.twitter.com/D3jC587xHF
— UK in Nigeria🇬🇧🇳🇬 (@UKinNigeria) September 11, 2023
The warship’s arrival comes as the Gulf of Guinea has become increasingly dangerous for shipping. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile pirate attacks in the region, and the area is also a major transit route for illicit goods such as drugs and weapons.
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